Podcasts about theamazingseller

Scott Voelker produces an Amazon FBA Podcast — and for many of you, that statement was total jibberish. That’s because Scott has discovered that driving deep into a niche topic enables him to attract a very niche and passionate audience. So, just so you have some context… The FBA part of what I said stands for “Fulfilled by Amazon,” it’s a way of selling products you create or source and have Amazon ship them, handle customer service, handle the processing - everything. It’s an AMAZING possibility for those who want to build their own product-based business. But it’s NOT easy, as Scott explains. You’ll hear his story, learn about how he learned online marketing and creative digital product creation, retail arbitrage, Amazon FBA, and serving others to help them succeed. You’ll benefit from listening to this episode if you... Are willing to take action to move forward… no matter where you’re starting from [0:52]  Love stories of people who’ve paid their dues to reach success [4:36] Wonder if you can succeed without a college degree [10:48] Are in a situation that feels hopeless or “dead end” [15:35] Have always wanted to start and run your own business [17:30] Are curious about selling Private Label products [30:40] Want to learn how to make your own luck and build an audience [37:10] Would like to know the benefits of creating your own  podcast [41:20] Are interested in discovering what you have to offer an audience [43:20] GET NOTIFICATIONS OF NEW EPISODES OF... Podcastification (this show) Scott’s podcast: The Amazing Seller 5 Minute Pitch (Scott’s podcast partnership project) CONNECT WITH: Carey and the Podcast Fast Track Team: https://PodcastFastTrack.com  Scott: https://TheAmazingSeller.com  Read the FULL show notes, including resources mentioned on this episode at https://PodcastFastTrack.com/133 Music used in this episode: "Shaving Mirror" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Rock Your World" from https://Audionautix.com (Jason Shaw)

In this episode, I’m talking to Scott Voelker from The Amazing Seller! Scott Voelker is the founder and host of The Amazing Seller podcast,  a top-ranked business show where he helps regular, everyday people start and grow their own online businesses in eCommerce.  Scott is a serial entrepreneur who has built and helped others build 6 and 7 figure brands online over the past 15 years and has now taught and inspired thousands all over the world through his “Take Action” approach! In this episode, you’ll learn: How niching down has played a part in helping Scott build several successful businesses over the last twenty years  The 4-part formula that Scott has used for nearly 15 years to successfully launch products online How to future-proof your business so you’re not building your brand on rented land Plus, a whole lot more! You can find all of the links and resources that are mentioned in today’s episode at MonicaLouie.com/22!

Growing an Ecommerce business is still one of the best ways to build something that can financially serve you and your family long-term, but it has never been more difficult. That’s why you should take advantage of the knowledge and experience of those who have done it in the past and are still doing it today, even with all the changes that have happened in the Ecommerce space. This episode of Maximizing Ecommerce features Scott Voelker, Kevin’s long-time mentor and friend, a super successful Ecommerce seller, and host of “The Amazing Seller” podcast. Scott shares his story, how the Ecommerce industry has changed over the last few years, and how you can get involved in building your own brand, investing your time, energy, and resources wisely, and establishing a long-term revenue stream (or two, or three) that makes all the effort worth it. You can grow a successful Ecommerce business today! Listen to hear how Scott and Kevin advise you go about it. Outline of This Episode [0:30] How the Ecommerce world is constantly changing - and what doesn’t [1:30] Introducing Kevin’s friend and mentor, Scott Voelker [3:09] The backstory behind Kevin and Scott’s friendship [8:09] Why the things that worked in the past don’t work as well in 2019 [21:01] Content is a huge part of building a brand. Scott shares how to do it well [20:31] What to expect from your content marketing efforts [37:90] How product sales can pivot into digital products [42:44] Relationships with others who are building brands are valuable [47:12] Scott’s parting advice for those looking to grow and Ecommerce business Private label sales: Not as simple as picking a product that is selling well It wasn’t too long ago that private label sellers were able to research popular items selling on Amazon, create their own version of the product, and begin selling it (and making money). Back then, if you ran out of inventory due to rapid sales, you typically had time to reorder and get back in the game. But today that is not the case. By the time you reorder and resupply your initial stock at Amazon, 3 to 5 new sellers are likely to have copied what you’re doing and will be raking in the sales in your place. It's also likely that one of those suppliers will have taken over the product listing you worked so hard to build and you won’t have a chance of regaining your place at the top. What’s the solution? In this episode, Scott and Kevin talk about the options you have for growing an Ecommerce business in 2019. You could… Sell varied products as cash-flow opportunities (and constantly be shifting what you sell) Build a brand of your own around the same niche area of interest Which is better? Does one have greater benefits for you as a seller than the other? Listen to this great conversation between two experienced Amazon sellers to get the answers. Two options for growing an Ecommerce business you should consider Consider this scenario: You find products that are selling well and begin supplying products of your own in that market. They sell well at first, but it isn’t long before the market fills up with look-alike products and suppliers. You have to pivot and wind up selecting a different product to add to what you sell. You experience the same sort of success at first - but the niche is quickly saturated again. OR, you could do this: Once you’ve found a product that both sells well and that you enjoy, you decide to double-down on that market. You work to differentiate your product by adding new features. You brand your product with your particular logo and mark, you customize the packaging, you add additional products that complement the ones you already sell. All of that leads to buyers having a good feeling about your brand - and customer experience turns into customer loyalty. Which would YOU prefer? Scott Voelker, Kevin’s guest on this episode has seen and experienced both scenarios and he’s convinced the later of the two is the best long-term gain, for many reasons. Listen to this episode to hear how he advises to do it in 2019. Step one for building an Ecommerce brand in 2019 There are people out there who are selling products on Amazon who don’t want to build a brand. The brainwork and nuance required to make things cohesive is not attractive to them - and perhaps they enjoy the “hunt” of finding new products and making them rise to the top of the Amazon search. If that is you, what does Scott recommend you do? First - Scott recommends you figure out a specific market and find and develop a variety of products in the same niche. It’s easier to research and provide products that are related, and each of them can point buyers to the other products you sell. If you do go about things in that way, Scott recommends you start investing your profits in other things that are completely unrelated to your product and your Amazon efforts. That’s because you want your income diversified so that if Amazon changes its algorithms or policies, you don’t lose everything. Isn’t that smart? A huge part of growing an Ecommerce business depends on Content Marketing Do you understand the term “Content Marketing?” It’s the process of producing valuable, free content for those who are interested in what you are selling so that you can build a following ("Bass Fishing" is one of Scott’s favorite illustrations). You’ve likely benefited from this kind of marketing yourself and didn’t even realize it was marketing. This podcast is one example of content marketing. When you do this, follow these two principles… Provide value - don’t make content just to make content. Truly help people Be consistent - content marketing is a long game, but a very effective one As you do this, you are able to connect with people who are truly interested in what you have to offer by building an email list. You can then sell your products to them through emails, place advertisements on your website that takes advantage of the traffic you're getting, create digital products that relate to your physical products, make sales through affiliate links you provide, and more. This episode is full of great information about how to build a brand, how to use it to its fullest potential through content marketing, and how to diversify your income streams so that you can be protected from the ups and downs of Amazon sales. As a BONUS, Scotts shares how to build relationships with others in the Ecommerce space for the possibility of joint ventures and new opportunities - like the Brand Accelerator Live event Scott and Kevin are putting on this year. Listen to get all the details! Resources & People Mentioned Scott and Kevin’s event: Brand Accelerator Live Mike Jackness: Sold his business for 7 figures Clickbank Connect with Scott Voelker Scott’s podcast: The Amazing Seller Scott’s website: www.TheAmazingSeller.com The TAS Facebook group Connect With Kevin Sanderson www.YouTube.com/maximizingecommerce www.Facebook.com/maximizingecommerce www.Twitter.com/maxecom Subscribe to Maximizing Ecommerce onApple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM   Tweets Learn the steps to successfully growing an #ecommerce business in 2019, with @ScottVoelker, on this episode of #MaximizingEcommerce. #PrivateLabel #Amazon #ProductSales #PrivateLabel sales: Its not as simple as picking a product that is selling well. Learn how the game has changed from @ScottVoelker, on this episode of #MaximizingEcommerce. #Amazon #ProductSales Here are 2 options for growing an #Ecommerce business you should consider. Learn from an experienced seller, @ScottVoelker, on this episode of #MaximizingEcommerce. #PrivateLabel #Amazon #ProductSales Step one for building an #Ecommerce brand in 2019 - a valuable tip from @ScottVoelker, on this episode of #MaximizingEcommerce. #PrivateLabel #Amazon #ProductSales A huge part of growing an #Ecommerce business depends on #ContentMarketing. Get tips for doing it right from @ScottVoelker, on this episode of #MaximizingEcommerce. #PrivateLabel #Amazon #ProductSales

Yes, you can create an eCommerce conversion funnel to sell more products and you can do it all with your brand. Scott Voelker has helped many build brands on Amazon to increase their sales. In this podcast episode, Scott takes us through how to use your brand to build an audience and use that attention as currency to success online. Some resources mentioned in this episode: TheAmazingSeller.com TheAmazingSeller.com/Workshop PitchPublicityProfit.com  

Today on the show, I’ve got a guest who’s long overdue: Scott Voelker of TheAmazingSeller.com. Scott is a well-known guy in the Amazon space, he knows a tremendous amount about the platform, and he has sold tons and tons of products, so today we’re doing a deep dive with someone who knows Amazon inside and out. We cover where there’s still opportunity left within the platform, common mistakes sellers make, the state of reviews in the second half of 2018, some of his favorite tools, and a bunch of other things that you don’t want to miss. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2zr7G7k 

So many people make excuses for why they can’t get started in private label or e-commerce sales. And one of the BIGGEST excuses you hear has to do with not having enough money. Scott is taking that excuse away today by giving you 5 ways you can make your first $500 in the next week. Seriously. It may sound kind of hype-y to say that but it’s true. Scott’s walking you through each step of his "find it - sell it" process so you can get rid of the money excuse. Are you ready to take action? You’d better be if you listen to this episode. Afraid of launching a DUD product? Stop making excuses! It’s hard to do product research that's effective. You want a product that will easily sell once you get it established on Amazon or another online platform. But many people use that difficulty as an excuse for why they are not getting started. As Scott says all the time - JUST START! You won’t make any progress if you don’t get rolling. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott is going to show you how you can take a fairly simple (not easy) action step to get yourself going - and the good part of this one is that it brings almost instant cash to you that will give you the motivation to keep going. You need to listen to this one! It takes ZERO money to make your first $500 in one week. If you REALLY want to get going in an online business you’re going to need money. No question. But there are ways you can make money from the junk you have lying around your house and create your own startup cash. This episode is focused on that approach to getting your business started. It’s simple, takes some work, but is something anyone can do. Scott’s walking you through the steps you have to take to make it happen on this episode. You can do a DEEP DIVE house cleaning to find stuff that will make you money today! OK, say you’re not a clean-freak. That’s GREAT when it comes to what Scott is talking about on this episode. He’s going to walk you through a deep-clean process you can do in your house that will actually generate some cash for you, so you can get moving on an online business with the money you earn. Sound too good to be true? It’s not. It works. Scott has seen it happen in his own life and with many others he’s advised through the years. You can find out how Scott would do it if he were in your shoes, on this episode. Do you want some help getting your business started? You need the 1K Fast Track! One of the things Scott has been experimenting with lately alongside his buddy Dom Sugar is a program that can help YOU make the money you need to start your business. It’s called the 1K Fast Track and it’s open now for 50 people. ONLY 50. So if you want into this pilot program that will show you how to make money quickly to support a larger scale business, this is the program for you. Find out how you can get into the program on this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [4:54] Opening the 1K Fast Track group - get in now! [6:47] Step #1: Stop making excuses! [9:00] Step #2: Do a deep dive clean to find things you can sell. [11:05] Step #3: Go to eBay to check prices and the SOLD listings in particular. [20:13] The downfall of this model: You have to ship the items you sell. Big deal! [21:14] Create your eBay and PayPal accounts. [22:14] Communicate with the people interested in your products and SHIP the products. [23:57] Product ideas you probably have laying around your house. [27:10] What is holding YOU back from getting started making some cash? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.1KFastTrack.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/300 - Scott’s story. eBay Scott(at)TheAmazingSeller.com - connect with Scott to let him know how much $$ you make! Nick Loper episode - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/311

One of the biggest obstacles to people who are considering the private label approach to online business is the cash to get started. But you don’t have to wait for a winning lottery ticket or go rob a bank. You can set up some kind of side job or side hustle to start earning some extra income that you can put into the start of an Amazon business. On the show today is Nick Loper, host of The Side Hustle Show to talk about different side income ideas that you can build that could launch your online business dreams. But I don’t have time to start a side hustle! Time is the one common denominator among every one of us. We all get 24 hours and what we choose to do with that time is what matters. On this episode of the podcast, Scott asked Nick Loper what he would say to a person who says they don’t have enough time and his advice was golden. If you’d like to hear what Nick said in answer to that question AND get some side hustle ideas of your own to try out, you’ve got to listen to this conversation. If you want it bad enough you’ll find a way to do it. When Nick Loper and Scott were talking about the time crunch we all feel when it comes to making a side hustle or other online opportunity work, they both came to the same conclusion. If you want it badly enough you’ll figure out a way to make it happen. You can’t give yourself any excuses, you just have to find a way to do what you say you want to do. It’s the people who take action who see success. Find out more about Nick’s approach to carving out the time to build side income, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. Make extra money by buying low and selling high using flea markets, garage sales, etc. One of the ideas Nick Loper had about how people could begin building side income to help fuel their Amazon private label dreams was to find things at flea markets that you can sell for more on eBay, Amazon retail arbitrage, or other places. It’s an amazingly simple thing to do with just a little bit of research and know-how. And guess what, Nick is on the show today to give you some of that knowledge, so what are you waiting for? Are you interested in making your first $1000 quickly to get a private label business started? Scott and his buddy Dom Sugar have been brainstorming a way to help you get a start even though you don’t have any money to put toward a traditional private label launch. Dom has been selling products through retail arbitrage for years and is a pro and knowing how to do it, how to find the right things to sell, and how to make a profit doing it. He and Scott are putting together a 50 person pilot program to see if they are able to help people earn $1000 quickly like they think they can. Would you like in? Listen to this episode to find out how! OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast and his guest Nick Loper! [1:54] A project Scott and his team have been working on behind the scenes. [6:04] How Nick got started working on side hustles and started his podcast. [11:16] How do side hustlers find the time to build a part time income? [15:07] Strategies for just getting stuff done. [21:48] What Nick says to a person who thinks they don’t have time to work on a side hustle. [25:08] Side hustle ideas to start earning money immediately. [34:38] Nick’s areas of low hanging fruit - the sharing economy opportunities. [41:00] Why Scott believes YOU need to give some of these ideas a shot. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.1KFastTrack.com www.SideHustleNation.com - Nick’s site. BOOK: The Compound Effect www.TimeHackers.io podcast Toggl tool Ebay http://www.inventright.com/ Red Bubble Zazzle www.Clarity.fm Upwork Fiverr www.TheAmazingSeller.com/300

The entrepreneurial road is one that involves all of life, not just what you’re doing in business. On this episode, Scott shares a good deal in the way of updates on his own family and personal life to show you how integrated life has to be with your business if you’re going to be truly fulfilled. In the midst of telling his stories, Scott highlights the importance of finishing what you start and how that kind of commitment will fuel in you in life and in business. It’s just one example of how The Amazing Seller is about more than the money - it’s about a great life. Are there certain states that are better for entrepreneurs? If you spend even a little bit of time in the online entrepreneurial space you’ll discover that there are certain places in the country that entrepreneurs seem to be drawn to. Two of those places are San Diego and San Francisco. But are there other places that are good locations for entrepreneurs to hang out and network? A listener to the show is moving soon and wants to consider these kinds of issues when he makes the decision about where he’s going to live - and he wanted Scott’s opinion. Be sure to listen to hear how YOU can help answer this question! When I order products from another country what format should my invoices be in? In past episodes, Scott has mentioned that it’s vitally important that you have the documentation you need from your overseas supplier to verify what you purchased, etc. It’s important not just for your records and peace of mind but also because of issues that can arise regarding customs, product specs, etc. It’s much better to be safe rather than sorry, so doing the legwork to get the right paperwork from the outset is worth it. You can hear Scott describe the kind of things your paperwork should contain, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. What is it that makes a private label product truly “private label?” A listener who is fairly new to selling private label products is coming at it very carefully because he’s done numerous online business opportunities in the past that have not all worked out. He’s heard a lot about private label sales and wants to make sure he’s understanding the concept correctly - and know how to approach it wisely. Scott is very impressed with this guy’s thoroughness and spends a little extra time unpacking some of the nuances of private label sales, so be sure you take the time to listen. Do you want to ask an experienced seller your eCommerce or private label questions? The Ask Scott session of The Amazing Seller podcast is your chance to ask an experienced, street-wise Amazon and eCommerce seller your situation-specific questions. You can ask about anything - mailing lists, product selection, PPC, off-Amazon sales and websites, and much more. Don’t be shy. Scott Voelker loves to answer your questions to help you make the most of the amazing opportunities available. Listen to this episode to find out how you can ask your questions - maybe you’ll be featured on the next Ask Scott episode! OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [0:29] Updates on Scott’s family and situation - sad and happy at the same time. [3:50] Word of the week: finishing. [7:00] QUESTION ONE: Are there business-friendly states that are better for entrepreneurs? [13:00] QUESTION TWO: What kind of invoices do I need to get from my suppliers to avoid problems? [18:05] QUESTION THREE: What is it that makes a product “private label” for real? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/307 - last Ask Scott episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/296 - the “open brand” episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - Ask your own questions! www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - join the TAS Facebook community

When you’ve got an established product on Amazon and your sales and search ranking suddenly go down, what happened? On this hot seat episode, Scott and Chris are chatting about a hot seat product where both those rankings have dropped 20% since last year. That’s a significant loss of revenue and the seller wants to fix the problem! You can’t blame him - and Scott and Chris have some great insights into why it’s happening and how the problem could be addressed. It’s all on this episode. If Amazon asks you to be THEIR vendor, should you jump at the chance? The hot seat participant in today’s episode of the podcast has an established wholesale brand that he’s been selling on Amazon and fulfilling himself (through his company). Amazon has seen his success and has approached him about being a vendor for them - meaning he’d sell directly to Amazon and they would purchase at a wholesale rate. There are all kinds of pluses to doing that, but there are also some cons you want to be aware of. The guys go over the pros and cons in depth on this episode. When your private label sales drop by 20% - what’s the problem and how do you fix it? Anytime a product that has been successfully selling drops in sales by 20%, you should be concerned. That’s what happened to this episode’s “hot seat” participant and he’s asking Scott and Chris to help him figure out what changed. You’ll hear the guys talk about all kinds of possibilities and pinpoint one thing in particular that is the most likely culprit. It’s a great episode that addresses a number of things so be sure you make the time to listen. Is being eligible for Amazon Prime an important part of getting sales? There’s no question that private label sellers who connect with the Amazon Prime feature by fulfilling through Amazon are at a HUGE advantage. Not only does it appear more professional, but anyone who has Amazon Prime can order your products and receive them with free shipping and free returns if they have issues with the product. That means there is a lot more motivation for them to choose your product over another. Find out how this seller is making the decision about getting listed with FBA, on this episode. How do you test keywords to see what is best for your products? If you are trying to optimize your product listing for the best keywords (and you should) then you’ll want to systematically test all the possible keywords for your product to ensure that you’re using the actual keywords and phrases buyers are using to find products like yours. How do you do that? You have to use the Amazon PPC (pay per click) promotions to drill down into what buyers are actually using to find your products. That’s the only way, and it does cost some money, but if you do it right it will yield great results. How do you do it right? Scott and Chris cover that on this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [3:42] The situation that’s on the hot seat today! [5:20] Pros and Cons of Amazon approaching you to be THEIR vendor. [10:50] Sales have dropped 20% and search rank has dropped. Not sure what happened. [13:20] The advantage of fulfilling via Amazon Prime - and how it impacts rankings. [17:51] How can keywords be improved on this product - and can we use sponsored ads to help? [28:30] The power of having a seasoned seller account - and getting it via seller feedback. [34:36] Final summary of action points for this seller. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/119 SalesBacker

Scott Voelker's (TheAmazingSeller.com) journey is an amazing Amazon and e-commerce success story. Beginning with retail arbitrage (buying local items and selling them on Amazon), then online arbitrage (buying physical items online and re-selling them on Amazon), private labeling (get a product sourced), and finally, e-commerce (setup a storefront outside of Amazon), Scott has not only generated a huge income scaling his business, he also teaches others how to do it. Topics covered: how Scott narrows down the perfect product to sell, every time Scott's "open brand" strategy that allows him to experiment with new physical products how to deal with copycats and the price wars how to build a list and get lots of reviews quickly (and remain compliant) using contests Resources The Amazing Seller (Podcast) The Private Label (Workshop) The Amazing Seller (Facebook group)

Establishing and running a successful eCommerce business is a challenge for anyone - no matter how experienced or talented you are. There are so many blind spots and unknowns, it’s helpful to have some experienced advice going in. That’s what the Friday “Ask Scott” episodes are about - Scott’s answers to YOUR questions. You’ll hear him deal with all kinds of issues - from getting started to pivoting into bigger and better ideas outside of Amazon. You’ve got to hear this one, it’s got some great questions and good answers. Cash flow for a new eCommerce business: How do you do it well? Getting started with private label sales is not an easy thing, especially if cash is tight. But even if you have a lump of cash to start with you have to be able to stimulate sales in a way that keeps your cash flow consistent. If you can’t do that you’re going to run into all kinds of problems keeping inventory available, which in turn causes your search engine rankings to be inconsistent. If you want to hear Scott’s advice about managing cash flow, including some cool software or app ideas, be sure you take the time to listen. I got damaged custom merchandise from my supplier, should I return it? A listener called in to ask a very interesting question on this episode. He received some customized products from his supplier but they are damaged. He’s not typically shy about returning defective or damaged products but in this case, since they have his logo on them, he’s concerned about returning them. Why? Because he can envision the supplier fixing them, then selling them on Amazon themselves, bringing disrepute to his brand. What can he do? Find out how Scott suggests he avoid that possibility, on this episode. How to optimize a product bundle effectively. You’ve heard Scott talk a lot about creating product bundles to build a second listing on Amazon that can generate cash flow. There are all kinds of benefits to it, including the ability to rank for a different set of keywords than your original product. But that won’t happen if you don’t optimize the bundle listing well. On this episode, Scott answers a question about bundling complementary products and optimizing that new listing, and there are all kinds of tips he gives to help you do it right. You’ll want to hear this one. What are the best ways to move from retail arbitrage into private label sales? If you’ve ever sold products using the retail arbitrage model you know that it’s not a model that you can scale very well, simply because your product supply is inconsistent. You can’t expect to build a business on somebody else’s brand. So how can you make the switch from retail arb to private label sales? A caller asks for Scott’s advice about that very thing on this episode and Scott gives 3 free resources he can tap into to teach him the step by step process to get it done. Are you interested? You can use the same free resources too, so be sure you listen to find out what they are. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [2:40] What does it mean to think in terms of “abundance?” [9:59] QUESTION ONE: How did you handle the issue of cash investment in your business and ongoing cash flow? [18:15] QUESTION TWO: What would you do if you received customized merchandise from your vendor that’s damaged? Would you send it back? [23:00] QUESTION THREE: Two complementary products that I’m considering bundling - how would you optimize the listing (bullets, etc.) [28:31] QUESTION FOUR: I’m thinking of moving from retail arb to private label sales. What is my best approach? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - Ask your own question! www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - join the Facebook group! Post from the Facebook group Scott mentioned. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Resources (find Fetcher affiliate link) www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop www.TheAmazingSeller.com/start Jungle Scout www.TheAmazingSeller.com/189

You never know what’s going to happen when you start something. Things can go way beyond what you thought would happen - which is exactly where things have gone for Scott Voelker. It’s been awhile since Scott has shared an update on his personal brands and progress as an Amazon private label seller, so this episode is going to do that. But he’s also got some plans for the new year regarding how he’s helping other people learn how to build their private label business. If you want to hear how Scott has been doing in his business and what he’s set as a goal for you this next year, be sure to listen! Weird things happen when the spotlight shines on you. Scott never imagined that the TAS brand and movement would become so big. When he first started his own Amazon sales business he only wanted to generate income for himself and his family. But the more he worked on things the more he came to see that what he was learning was of value to so many people - he just had to share it. That’s how the podcast and his workshops came to be and the rest is an unbelievable piece of history. But with that kind of notoriety comes some weirdness. People don’t always respond well. On this episode, Scott talks a bit about how he’s been received and what he’s learning about the things you experience on the path to success. Why Scott never wants to be a guy who doesn’t do what he’s teaching others to do. Over the past year, there have been a few people accusing Scott Voelker of being a “teach but not do” sort of internet guru. They think he’s phased out of selling on Amazon himself but is still making money from teaching others how to sell on Amazon. Nothing could be further from the truth. On this episode, Scott pulls back the curtain to show you what he’s doing in his own sales business and gives you the reasons that he NEVER wants to teach something that he’s not personally doing. It’s great insight into the character behind the TAS brand. Why you have to just start. No excuses. Scott Voelker has often said, “Just start.” He knows that unless you get moving, you’ll never have a chance of getting anywhere. That’s why he’s continued to stress the importance of taking action now before you get scared away or find a reason to give in to your personal insecurities that tell you, you can't do it. You’ve got to take action if you’re going to change your life for the better. Sure, there is a bit of risk involved but the potential rewards are far beyond what most people imagine. Scott’s got a bit of a pep talk for you on this episode about what it takes to get started and why you should - so be sure you listen. Scott’s goal: Help 500 people earn $1000 per month. Every new year most people in the entrepreneurial space set goals for their business. Scott is no different. He’s got personal goals for his income and sales numbers but he’s also got some goals for what he wants to do through The Amazing Seller podcast and brand. On this episode, Scott Voelker tells how he’s come up with the mission of helping 500 people make $1000 per month through eCommerce and online sales - and why it’s important for the trajectory of what he’s doing as an Amazon coach and consultant. Will you be one of those 500 people? You can be. Find out how on this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:02] Scott’s welcome and introduction to this special episode. [1:19] Why I wanted to record this episode and the importance of taking action. [4:19] The weird things that happen when the spotlight shines on you. [13:33] The most recent brands Scott has been working on in partnerships. [23:40] Plans for the TAS brand and team in 2017. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/302 - planning episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/300 - Scott’s story episode Flexport www.TheAmazingSeller.com/296 - open brand episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/189

It’s time for the Friday Q&A episode of the podcast - we call it the “Ask Scott” episodes. You can connect with Scott Voelker to ask your own Amazon or eCommerce related questions. It could be anything: product selection, email marketing, list building, website issues, really - anything. When you do, Scott will answer them on the podcast for everyone to hear. And when you ask your question be sure you leave your name so Scott can thank you personally and refer to you directly. For now, listen to this episode to hear Scott’s answers to the questions of other eCommerce sellers. Being an entrepreneur is a life of ups and downs. Get used to it and get fueled by it. It’s not uncommon for people who are trying to build an eCommerce or another type of business to be discouraged often. That’s because any time you’re trying to build something great you’re going to run into resistance. It’s just the way life is. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott has a pep talk for you about how to deal with the discouragements that will inevitably come and how you can turn them to your advantage for greater success. That’s something you could use, isn’t it? Be sure you take the time to hear this episode. What is the best way to use product discounts in conjunction with review requests? A listener called in to ask Scott about a particular approach to seeking reviews in conjunction with offering a discount code. He doesn’t exactly want to offer the discount in exchange for the review - that would be a violation of Amazon’s policy - but he does want to couple the two together. Is it a strategy that would actually work? Even more importantly, is it something Amazon would even allow without penalizing the seller in some way? You can hear Scott’s response to this creative strategy on this episode. I noticed that a certain product on page two is selling more than those on page 1. What’s up? An Amazon seller who is doing product research has noticed something a bit unexpected. There are products that are showing up on page 2 of the search results that are actually selling more products than the products on page 1 of the search results. How can that be? Doesn’t Amazon weight the search results in favor of those products that are selling more? Why would a higher seller be on page 2? Scott’s got some theories about what might be happening in this situation and he’s going to tell you what he thinks about it on this episode. Why you don’t have to start big on Amazon private label. When you are considering a business selling private label products on Amazon you may be a bit intimidated because you think you’ve got to put a lot of money into it at the beginning. But actually, there are advantages to NOT putting in a ton of money at the start. That way you can test a market, validate that there is good potential for sales, and get your feet wet a little bit at a time - learning how the entire process works. If you want to learn how to do it Scott has some great resources to share with you so make sure you take the time to listen to this episode of The Amazing Seller. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [1:47] Be realistic about the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial process. [6:04] QUESTION ONE: Can we give a 100% code in the same email where we ask for a product review? [13:33] QUESTION TWO: How do product sales relate to page ranking? [19:02] QUESTION THREE: When starting out can I start small to test and validate? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - ask your questions! Facebook Group post thread Scott mentioned www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - join the Facebook group www.TheAmazingSeller.com/300 - Scott’s story episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/302 - focus on the target episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/resources - Scott’s resource page (affliate links there) www.TheAmazingSeller.com/291 - starting small episode www.AliExpress.com

Everybody has a story. And every person who has an Amazon success story has a lot to share that can help the rest of us move forward. If you’re looking for an inspiring story to show you what’s possible in Amazon private label sales you want to hear this episode. It features Sophie Howard, an international seller who built her Amazon business over her maternity leave and recently sold it for 7 figures. Her goal was to build a hobby business and it swelled into so much more. Find out how Sophie did it and how her story could help you build your business, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. The amazing true story of a hobby business turned 7 figures within 2 years. What is your goal for your Amazon business? In other words, what is the REASON you are doing it? It’s got to be about more than just making money. Today’s guest is Sophie Howard, a resident of New Zealand who started her Amazon private label business in order to provide for the lifestyle she and her family wanted. She had two years in which to do it and the results were phenomenal. This episode is going to take you inside Sophie’s product selection, product launch, sales funnel, and so much more. You’re going to be inspired by her tenacity and drive and see how her success could be yours as well. How Sophie researched her niche - it was an intense process. As you’ve learned from previous episodes of The Amazing Seller, product and market research is a very necessary part of the private label sales process. If you don’t make a good choice at the beginning you may be stuck with a struggle for the lifetime of the product. Sophie Howard took that very seriously because she not only wanted to have a successful product, she also wanted to be confident that success was around the corner. And successful is exactly what she was, selling her business for 7 figures in just two years. You can hear what Sophie did to research her products and find the very best fit for her products in her market, on this episode. The power of joining Facebook groups surrounding your product niche. One of the ways that Sophie did product and market research was to join a number of Facebook groups that were centered around her product niche. She became a familiar face in the groups, asked questions, listened and took part in the conversations going on, and discovered what people who were already highly interested in that market were naturally interested in. She discovered through those relationships where there were gaps in the market that she could fill. If you want to hear the specifics, you can by listening to this great episode. eCommerce is changing so fast if you don’t enjoy learning you won’t enjoy eCommerce. Sophie Howard is a great example of the kind of person who does well in the eCommerce space. She’s an avid learner and isn’t afraid to jump in and find out how things work. She believes that you have to be eager to learn or else the eCommerce world will be a source of constant frustration for you - because it’s always changing and will continue to do so. On this episode, you’re going to hear the story of a tenacious, everyday mom who wanted to build a business on Amazon. And you’ll hear how she did it to the tune of 7 figures. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [1:35] A few announcements for you to get some free help! [3:44] How Sophie got started in private label sales. [6:01] How Sophie got the offer for her business and why she took it. [10:10] The ideas Sophie had about her business when she started. [12:49] What Sophie did to launch and build her product sales. [16:54] Sophie’s thoughts about creating an open brand. [19:24] The approach to market research Sophie follows to build a new product. [24:08] Sophie’s approach to writing emails to her list and following. [28:25] Advice for the person just starting out - finding your sweet spot. [34:00] How the recent review policies impact Sophie’s approach. [37:34] The importance of getting off Amazon and building your own email list. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.AspiringEntrepreneurs.org - Sophie’s website and coaching www.TheAmazingSeller.com/300 - Chris’ interview of Scott www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop Jungle Scout BOOK: Influence

On this week’s episode of The Art of Paid Traffic, we’re diving into some SUPER interesting stuff with returning guest, Scott Voelker of TheAmazingSeller.com. Scott is an expert in private labeling and selling products on Amazon through their Fulfillment by Amazon or FBA program.  He’s been doing it for a long time, he’s got a great podcast on the subject, products that teach you how to do it — he’s really the goto guy for selling on Amazon. He re-joins me on the podcast to talk about ecommerce strategies that are working right now to sell more of your products -- in 2016 there were a lot of changes to how you sell physical products online. For example, Amazon made some major changes to how sellers can get exposure for their products and Scott’s been following these changes and figuring out how to capitalize on them in 2017. That’s what you’re going to hear on today’s episode — Scott shares the exact strategies for how you can sell more products in 2017 — especially with how to best use paid traffic. Even if you don’t sell products on Amazon, you won’t want to miss this episode because all of what we talk about today is relevant for online businesses selling things — whether it’s physical products or courses or consulting, etc… On Today’s Show You’ll Learn: A list-building strategy that helped Scott grow a list from 0 to 4000+ email subscribers -- in less than a week The strategic approach Scott uses to break into untapped niches and skyrocket sales right out of the gates The super simple way Scott was able to get his content in front of millions of people for only $110 Scott’s secret sauce that’s allowed him to increase his online sales, despite platforms imposing more and more restrictions on selling Why you can’t rely on an audience that lives solely on platforms like Facebook, Amazon, etc. (i.e. platforms you don’t own) And a lot more…

The new year is a great time to do some planning for what’s ahead, to set goals for yourself and your business to make sure you are able to accomplish the most you can. But it’s not only reserved for the new year, you should do planning and goal setting anytime you notice the need. On this episode, Scott walks through his own planning process for setting goals and accomplishing them. His process involves asking the right questions, planning backward, and pushing himself to go a bit farther than he thinks he can. You’ll benefit from hearing what Scott does so grab your notepad and pencil and take some great notes! If you’re going to accomplish what you want, you’ve got to plan to do it. One of the things Scott has noticed is that many people have wishes or hopes for what their life could be like, but very few people actually take the steps needed to ensure that their hopes become reality. It doesn’t make sense but it’s true. If you want to accomplish something you’ve got to be willing to create a plan for achieving it - and then you’ve got to be willing to take steps to make it happen. On this episode, Scott’s walking through his personal planning process as an example for you to follow in creating your own goals and planning to achieve them. The goals you shoot for depend on the questions you ask yourself. It’s very important in any business to create goals, but the success you have in developing the right goals depends on the KINDS of questions you ask yourself - and the WAY the questions are phrased make a lot of difference. On this episode of The Amazing Seller podcast, Scott is going to show you how the right questions can lead to bigger goals and a more spectacular accomplishment of them. You won’t want to miss this simple but powerful tweak that can help you set and attain the goals you really want. Backward planning is the best way to ensure that you’re going to get to your goals. Once you’ve got your goals in place - once you can clearly see what you want to attain - you’ve got to devise a very clear plan of action for how you will accomplish those goals. The best way Scott has found to do this is to start with the goal itself and work backward. Take one step back, just prior to accomplishing the finished goal and clearly outline what that place will look like. Then take one step backward from there and do the same thing. Keep going until you get all the way back to where you currently are. What you have before you at that point is a clear action plan that will take you step by step to your goal. Now it’s time to get busy by applying it to a timeline. Find out how Scott does it on this episode of The Amazing Seller podcast. Why you need to create a 3-year vision for what you want your business to look like. Do know really know what you’re headed towards? It’s not just about monetary goals and business success - it’s about the KIND of company you want to run, the types of relationships you want to have, the quality of life that you want your family to enjoy, and more. On this episode of the podcast, Scott highlights the importance of having a 3-year vision for where you are headed and why it can be a powerful catalyst for your forward motion and the accomplishment of your goals. You should take the time to listen. You’ll have a bigger vision and a more exciting motivation to reach your goals if you do. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast about vision and planning! [4:21] The tools you’ll need to create your vision and action plan. [7:00] Getting started by asking the right questions to discover your goals. [13:47] Ask yourself specific questions about your goals. [15:30] Working backwards from your goals to create your plan. [20:00] Use a calendar to create your 90 day plan and 30 day sprints. [25:25] Create a 3 year vision for your company and life. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/success www.TheAmazingSeller.com/300 - Scott’s story

What’s the latest sticking point in your Amazon or eCommerce business moving forward? Are you having trouble with product selection? Are there questions about using the Amazon dashboard or backend? Maybe it has to do with list-building or sales funnels. This is the Friday episode of The Amazing Seller podcast where you can ask your questions about eCommerce and private label sales on Amazon - and Scott Voelker is the guy who will answer your questions on the episode. Is it helpful to include a product video on my Amazon listing? One of the newest things the Amazon platform offers to private label sellers is the opportunity to create an enhanced product listing. You have to brand register your products to have the option but it allows you to adjust and improve your listing in lots of ways. One of those way is the inclusion of a product video to show more of the benefits and features of your products. But is it always a good idea? And if it is beneficial, what improvements in ranking and sales should you expect to see as a result? On this episode Scott walks through some of the initial things you can expect from adding a video to your product listing, so be sure you take the time to learn about this new feature. How important is a unique design for my new product? A listener called in to ask a question about the benefits of having a unique product design. He’s a graphic designer and as he looks through the Amazon catalogue many of the products seem to be pretty generic to him. He feels that he could create a better design for a product and quickly be THE go-to brand in the niche simply because his product is different. But is that true? On this Ask Scott episode, Scott Voelker walks through the pros and cons of creating a unique design for your products and when you should consider it in the product launch stages. If you’re curious about how to go about differentiating your products you need to hear this episode. How can I go about tracking my product inventory. Amazon’s numbers don’t look right? One of the listeners to The Amazing Seller Podcast called in to ask a question about the stats and inventory numbers that Amazon provides in the backend of the seller accounts. He doesn’t feel that his numbers look accurate because his total sales, returns, and remaining inventory numbers don’t add up. He’s curious if Scott has a better way to keep track of numbers instead of relying on Amazon’s numbers, and whether or not he should contact Amazon’s seller help to find out why their numbers are different. You can hear Scott’s answer on this episode. Is retail arbitrage still an option? How can it be combined with private label sales? Many Amazon sellers get their start by selling products through retail arbitrage on Amazon. That simply means they find discounted products under existing brands and sell them on Amazon as a wholesaler. But most people move from there into private label sales, which means they source their own product, brand it themselves, and have exclusive rights to the sale of that product. But it’s possible to do both at the same time and to continue doing both to add more cash flow to the business. In response to a couple of questions about retail arbitrage, Scott Voelker shares how some sellers are doing exactly that, so be sure you listen. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [1:28] A concept to consider for the new year: Setting your target. [6:59] QUESTION ONE: How important is a film/video about your product? [12:51] QUESTION TWO: How important is design for a new product? Costs? [18:45] QUESTION THREE: How do you go about tracking product inventory? [23:50] QUESTION FOUR: How can I become the top seller in retail arbitrage? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - ask your own questions. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/294 - episode on enhanced content. www.Alibaba.com

Anyone who is busy selling eCommerce products, either on Amazon or other places, knows that the eCommerce space is always changing for various reasons. With those changes come both challenges and incredible opportunities for those who are willing to put in the work to learn what the changes mean and how to get their products rocking in light of them. This episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott and his buddy Chris are chatting about the changes that have happened over the last year, what it has meant for building online eCommerce businesses, and what can be done better moving forward to make 2017 a rocking and powerful year for you. Why changes over the last year on Amazon have shifted the launch mindset. For a very long time, everyone who‘s been building a business on Amazon private label products has been able to motivate people to leave reviews by offering them a discount in exchange for that review. But that’s an advantage that has gone away due to changes on Amazon. The change has forced Amazon sellers to shift their mindset about how to promote products and how to build a more successful business. You’ve got to do new things to make sales happen now, that's the long and short of it. On this episode, Scott and Chris cover some of the mindset shifts that have been forced by Amazon changes and suggest ways you can make your business fly even higher by using the advantages that come BECAUSE OF the changes. The changes Amazon has made lately make it BETTER for serious sellers. Here’s why. The changes that have happened on the Amazon sales platform this year in relation to reviews have made one thing very clear. Many people were building a business solely on the back of being able to offer a discount in exchange for reviews. What that has done is make an opportunity for those who are serious about building a business on Amazon and independent of it. The learning curve is high but it’s actually a BETTER opportunity for those who are serious business people who want to build a long lasting eCommerce business. Find out how you can be one of those long-lasting brands, on this episode. The winning way to choose private label products in light of recent changes on Amazon. As things have changed on the Amazon platform over the last year it’s become apparent that the old way of doing product selection doesn’t work anymore. Why? Because reviews are now harder to come by so if you’re going to use reviews as a way to establish social proof you’re going to have a harder road getting there. That means you’ve got to target product niches where the most successful products have fewer reviews. If you’d like to hear more about how Chris and Scott go about selecting great products to launch on Amazon you can listen to this episode and get all of their insights. Here’s how you can leverage lightning deals to promote your products and get more sales. The Amazon platform has always allowed you to use the “Lightning Deal” feature, but the way to use it and exactly WHO can use it has changed a lot over the years. But now, it’s much more available to everyone than in the past and it’s a way you can utilize to get more product sales in spurts through Amazon’s promotion of your products. On this episode of The Amazing Seller podcast, you’re going to hear how Scott and Chris suggest anyone can use the Lightning Deal feature to boost sales and sales rank so to get your products rolling and build momentum. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this podcast about 2017 strategies! [4:53] The things that have changed in the last year. [10:12] Mindset shifts due to Amazon changes this past year. [15:00] Why it’s now BETTER for serious eCommerce sellers. [32:03] What to consider as you launch a new product in the future. [34:14] Advice for those just starting on Amazon in 2017. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - Join one of Scott’s workshops! www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LaunchList - the Launch List workshop. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/296 - The Open Brand strategy episode www.Walmart.com www.Rakuten.com www.ebay.com Greg Mercer www.AliExpress.com

It’s time for another of the Friday “Ask Scott” episodes where you get to hear Scott’s answers to the real-life questions of other Amazon sellers. And what’s even better than that is that YOU can ask your own specific questions for Scott to answer. You’ll be able to learn all kinds of great things about product listings, marketing funnels, sales issues, and much more. If you want to hear Scott’s answers and even learn how to ask your own questions you should make sure you listen to this “Ask Scott” episode. How much detail should you include in your product listing? Will other people copy it if you do? A listener asks today whether he should include the kinds of things that set his product apart when it comes to product materials, densities, etc. He has two different thoughts about it. #1 - it IS the type of product that those things really matter so he sees it as a possible way to show that his product is high quality. #2 - He’s concerned that others in the market may use his detailed descriptions to copy what he’s doing and bring more competition to his market. Scott’s got a great way of looking at this issue so be sure you listen to get this episode. Selling an electronic product? Do you need to be compliant with FCC regulations and such? One of the things Scott has often advised AGAINST is the sale of electronic products. His main reasons have been that there are too many products in the space and that the likelihood of product returns due to product defects is much higher. But there are other issues having to do with government regulations, etc. that you need to be concerned about. On this episode, Scott dives into that issue and the various things you want to keep in mind so you don’t get yourself into trouble. It’s an amazing amount of detail for a short response so be sure you listen, take notes, and take action! When you launch a second product and want to offer a discount to your list, how do you do it wisely? A caller to the show named April is about to launch her second product. AND, she’s been building an email list for her first product and is eager to send a discount to her list for the new product. Way to go April! Her question on this episode has to do with the best way to provide a discount to the people on her list. Should she give a discount code that anyone can use? Should she create a single-use code and reply to each person who wants to use it? Or is there a better way? Scott’s got some great ideas about how to do this in a powerful, simple, and search-boosting way, so be sure you listen. When it comes to the time you have available, here’s a caution to help you budget it well. One of the things Scott has been learning (again) is that time is a very precious thing. Every minute that passes is a minute that you can never get back. Here we are approaching the holidays and most of us will be spending a lot of time with family. But we’re also eagerly building Amazon and eCommerce businesses. How do you effectively make sure that the time you’re spending with your family is time WELL SPENT with your family, with your mind engaged in the moments you have with them? You can hear why this is becoming more important to Scott and what he suggests you do to keep yourself on track when it comes to the wise use of your time, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this Q&A episode of the podcast! [1:00] The importance of remembering that TIME is a precious thing. [5:17] The phrase of the week: Consume then do. [6:52] QUESTION ONE: How specific should my product details be in terms of materials and other parameters in light of potential copycat products? [15:22] QUESTION TWO: On electronic products is the FCC label required on the product someplace? [22:00] QUESTION THREE: I’m about to launch a second product and want to send a discount to my list for the second product. Can you advise me how to do this in the best way? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - ask your own question! Ted Limus, attorney

There are lots of ways to start selling products on Amazon. But there are some approaches that restrict you more than others in terms of the categories you are able to sell within and the variety of products you can offer. On this episode, Scott talks with his friend Dom Sugar about what it means to build an open brand, why it is a faster way to find and launch products, and how you can approach this style of selling, on this episode. Are you married to your product brand? What would happen if you weren’t? The idea of selling products under an “open brand” is foreign to a lot of sellers who are trying to build a brand in a certain niche. An open brand enables you to sell products in all sorts of niches, testing as you go, learning what products are popular and which are not. This approach enables you to get products started faster and cull the ones that aren’t working while still building a business. You can even have multiple niched brands within your open brand. If it doesn’t make sense to you now, that’s OK. Listen to this episode to hear Scott and his friend Dom Sugar explain what the open brand strategy is. How retail arbitrage can connect to an open brand sales model. Dom Sugar has been selling products online for years. Most recently he’s been selling private label products and is doing so very successfully. But he’s not exclusively selling private label products, he still sells products under a retail arbitrage model through his open brand. He finds the opportunities, puts them on Amazon to see what will happen, and lets them sell at whatever rate they will. It’s a way that he has low-volume sales going on all the time to support his other business endeavors. It’s a great model that you can learn more about on this episode. An open brand enables you to build brands within your brand. As Scott and Dom talked about the concept of building an open brand on this episode, it became clear that it’s possible to build a handful of individual brands within a larger “open” brand. The open brand may be the name on the seller account - “ABC Products” for example. Then underneath that main brand may be a home brand, a pet brand, a sporting goods brand, and more. It enables you to try all kinds of products in any niche, regardless of whether you’re already doing that type of product or not. Find out how to make it happen in your business, on this episode. The power of an open brand is that you’re able to test for beneficial, larger brand possibilities. When you keep your brand broad and open you are able to try a variety of products without having to remain within a certain niche. When you find one that begins to sell at a rapid pace then you have the opportunity to think through the possibility of selling related products and actually building a brand from it. This is one of the tips that Dom Sugar shares with Scott on this episode. Dom’s been selling products online for years and has lots of perspective on how you can go about finding and selling products profitably. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast with Dom Sugar! [1:20] Dom’s experience in online sales and why he’s such a great resource. [4:00] What is the “open brand” concept. [9:10] The importance of keeping email lists segmented according to interest. [15:57] Should you have multiple seller account to create different brands? [18:26] Tips for choosing brand names. [26:48] Strategies Dom uses to sell more products. [37:14] The power of brands within a brand. [41:00] The kind of products Dom looks for to start another item in his product line. [49:20] Don’t let the barriers stop you from getting started. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - join the Facebook community. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - join the next workshop www.JungleScout.com www.AliExpress.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Canada

Whenever you start something new there’s a ton of things that can stand in the way of you getting started - and much of it has to do with ignorance. When you don’t know everything involved with starting it all seems pretty large, pretty overwhelming. That’s why it’s helpful for someone who’s been down the road ahead of you to come alongside to help you navigate the questions and pitfalls. That’s what these Friday “Ask Scott” episodes are all about. It’s your opportunity to get your questions answered about private label sales on Amazon and eCommerce business in general. Find out how you can ask your questions on this episode. I can’t get Amazon to approve me for a seller account. What’s the problem? A listener to the podcast called in today and has a very unusual problem. She’s applied to have a seller account on Amazon and has been denied. And no matter how much she follows up, trying to get an answer to why she’s being denied, she’s not getting anywhere. So she called in to ask Scott what he would recommend. Should she give up? Should she just go to Etsy or eBay and forget about Amazon altogether? Scott’s got some great insights for this person - and you can hear it on this episode. My wife has always dreamt of starting a clothing boutique. How can we get started on Amazon? A listener from Ireland called Scott to ask about the different issues he might face trying to sell clothing on Amazon. The clothing category is a very crowded space and it’s difficult to get started. But there are some things that you need to keep in mind that could help you set yourself apart from the rest of the products you’ll find listed on Amazon. What sort of things could you do to stand out? You can hear the kind of things Scott recommends on this episode. I somehow missed the deadline to get my products listed before the holidays. What should I do? A while back Amazon made an announcement that new FBA sellers would not be able to send in products until after December 19th. That’s because the Amazon warehouses are packed with products that will be sold through the holiday season. What should new sellers do if they have missed that cutoff deadline? Scott’s got some great insights into things you can do to maximize your impact when you are able to send products to the warehouse AND he’s got some suggestions for other places you might be able to sell your products over the holidays. Find out more on this episode. If you want to start selling eCommerce products online, join the FREE private label workshop. One of the things that Scott Voelker has provided free of charge for a long time is the private label workshop. He’ll walk you through the 5 phases involved in researching, buying, and launching a product on Amazon and to top it all off, he’ll stick around for questions after the workshop is over. You can find out more about the private label workshop and how you can get registered for the next one by listening to this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this Q&A episode of the podcast! [1:23] The phrase of the week: Adapting to Change. [5:50] QUESTION ONE: I can’t even setup a seller account. Can you help? [14:42] QUESTION TWO: My wife and I want to start selling in the clothing category. Can you recommend how we should start? [22:40] QUESTION THREE: I somehow missed the cutoff for getting my product to Amazon before the holidays. What should I do? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Ask - ask your question to be answered on the show. UnTuckIt www.TheAmazingSeller.com/294 - learn about enhanced listings.

One of the frustrations about selling products on Amazon is that the platform is changing all the time. But one of the GREAT things about it is that things are changing all the time, too! Every now and then a change is made to the terms of service or tools that make it much BETTER for those selling their private label products on Amazon. On this episode Scott is walking through some of the most recent changes, helping you understand what they mean for you, and showing you how to use them effectively on your products to ramp up sales. If your products are not brand registered you are now SERIOUSLY missing out on new features! For a while now Amazon has been allowing private label sellers to apply for brand registration - a way to register yourself as the only owner of your brand. So far there have only been a few benefits to being brand registered but as of the last week, there’s a HUGE reason to get your products brand registered - you can get new formatting tools to make your product listing stand out in some special ways. Images, text enhancements and formatting, additional bullets, and more are now yours - but only if you’re brand registered. Find out how you can take advantage of it, on this episode. What if you could build a long form sales page for your private label products? Leadpages and ClickFunnels are two of the popular landing page software services that enable you to build sales pages on your own website. Statistics prove that landing pages of this sort are much more effective in making sales. Now Amazon has created some template-based features for all brand registered products that make your product listing much more like a long-form sales page. You can find out the details and learn how to start building your own product listing sales pages on the Amazon platform - on this episode of The Amazing Seller. Do you have access to the new Enhanced Content on your Amazon listings? Amazon has been rolling out a new feature - enhanced content - to all brand registered sellers over the past few weeks. But not everyone is seeing it yet. If you’re not seeing this new option in the advertising tab of your seller account then you need to reach out to Amazon to see how you can get it. Chris and Scott walk through what they suggest you do if Amazon has not given you the enhanced content yet, on this episode. Now you can get rid of hijackers forever - by getting brand registered. For quite a while now it’s been possible for someone to list products under your product listing and eventually take it over, leaving you with no control over your own product listing. But Amazon has now created a way for you to prevent that from happening, but you’ve got to be brand registered first. But not everyone gets approved for brand registry the first time. How do you keep working to get your products registered if you’ve been rejected? You can find out by hearing what Scott and Chris have to say, on this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [1:05] How you can get in on the next live workshop. [1:54] Enrollment for the private label course is closing! [3:54] What is enhanced content and where can you check it out? [7:20] The templates and layouts that can be used for the enhanced content. [13:35] How this new change is like a long-form sales page. [15:00] Be sure NOT to include testimonials in these new fields. [24:24] Why it’s vital that you get brand registered immediately. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - get the replay of the live workshop http://theamazingseller.com/261 - episode about brand registry www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - join the facebook group  

One of the things Amazon sellers can easily overlook is the issue of liability. Is your product safe? Should it include a choking warning? Is there a risk that you could be sued or that your product could be held liable for harm done to a person or their property? These are not things we like to think about but they are a necessary consideration when you’re building a business. On this episode, Scott is chatting with Michelle Love about the issue of liability insurance, both for your business and to cover your products. You’ll want to hear this one. Do you know when you need to purchase product liability insurance for your Amazon biz? Many Amazon sellers who are just getting started have small supplies of their products and very low investment in the business. The thought of purchasing business and product insurance could serve as another reason to quit or not get started at all. But you don’t need to worry about that hurdle yet because Amazon has sales thresholds that you have to meet in order for them to require you to purchase insurance. Do you know what it is? On this episode, you’ll find out and get a lot more advice about insurance for your business from Insurance Agent Michelle Love. How much can Amazon sellers expect to pay for product liability insurance? When you are trying to budget for the expense of product and business insurance you really need to have some figures you can start with to ensure you’re going to be able to pay for it when the time comes. But it’s hard to know exactly what you’re going to need to pay because the premiums depend on the specifics of the products you are selling. How risky are they? What dangers might be involved? It’s not an easy issue to unravel without professional help. On this episode, you’re going to be shown exactly how to know when and what insurance you need in order to cover yourself from lawsuits and liability. How do you know if you’ve got the right kind and enough insurance for your Amazon business? Insurance is not the most exciting thing to talk about but if you’re going to run a business you’ve got to make sure you do everything needed to protect yourself and handle any legal claims that may come against you. On this episode Scott is chatting with Michelle Love, an Insurance Professional who is also selling products through Amazon FBA, so she knows the particular issues that Amazon sellers face and can help you navigate the confusion. Find out how you can know the right insurance and the right amounts of it to purchase, on this episode. Did you know that the Amazon Terms of Service you signed require you to purchase insurance? The habit we all have when it comes to terms of service is to quickly scroll through and hit “accept.” But that’s a practice that can come back to bite you eventually, especially if you are agreeing to do something in the arrangement - which most terms of service do require. In Amazon’s terms of service, there are requirements on you as an Amazon FBA seller that you buy product liability insurance when you reach a certain sales threshold. Did you know that? More importantly, do you need insurance now? Find out the answer for your situation on this episode of The Amazing Seller. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this product liability episode of the podcast! [0:30] Introduction to Scott’s guest, Michelle Love. [5:00] The need and importance of insurance for your business and products. [8:03] Product liability insurance: the price depends on the risk. [10:47] When and what do you need to do to prove your insurance to Amazon? [15:30] Additional issues that can impact Insurance premiums. [18:00] How can you know that you’ve got the right insurance for your needs? [22:40] Do you need coverage for products that are waiting to be shipped? [24:00] Guidelines for what business and product liability insurance could cost. [26:20] Is insurance needed for each and every product or just the brand as a whole? [29:56] Don’t forget that you might need worldwide coverage for your products. [32:00] Knowing the difference between “claims” and “occurrences.” [42:21] The Amazon crack-downs on sellers who are not purchasing insurance. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE E. M. Ford Insurance Agency - Michelle’s agency MLOVE(at)EMFORD.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - get in on the last workshop of the year

What’s the deal with this year? It’s just flown by! Here we are in the 4th quarter, the first part of December 2016 and we’re looking at Christmas coming up. But there is lots to be concerned about that’s much more important than product sales. Yep, you heard that right. You’ve got family at home and kids around and the holidays are almost here. So make sure you take a breath, look around you, and enjoy the moment. That’s the first thing Scott has to say as he starts this “Ask Scott” episode of the podcast and he’s learning it himself as he goes. If you’d like to hear this episode and ask your own question, you can ask Scott yourself. Listen to this Q&A episode to find out how! I’m doing well with my first private label product but am still on page 8. How can I improve that? A listener called in to ask how he can improve his product ranking. At this point, he’s consistently on page 8 or page 9 and his niche is a very competitive sub-niche of the sporting goods category. Even though he’s getting a decent amount of sales he’s curious if he’s ranking so low because his seller account is new. He’s also curious what he can do to improve his product rank. Scott’s got one main thought about why his product is ranking so low. Can you guess what it is? You can find out on this episode of The Amazing Seller. No more discounts in exchange for product reviews. What should you do now? In case you haven’t heard, Amazon has now changed its policies to forbid private label sellers from offering discounts in exchange for a review. That doesn’t mean you can’t give discounts. It doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for reviews. But it DOES mean that you can't offer the discount only if the purchaser agrees to leave you a product review. The practice of discounts in exchange for reviews used to be one of the most powerful ways to drive product reviews, which in turn helps with social proof, which in turn drives sales. So… since it’s not allowed now, what should you do to get a product going? Scott’s going to tell you how he’s modified his strategy, on this episode. Can you tell me what the best way is to research great keywords for my products? A listener called in on this episode and he's a Jr. in college and has already launched 4 products and has two more on order. He’s rocking the Amazon private label sales world already and is eager to find out how he can find the best keywords that his products can best rank for. He knows that getting his products found for the keywords people are actually searching for is what is going to help him get in front of the people who are wanting exactly what he has to offer. If you’d like to hear how Scott recommends all sellers go about finding their best product keywords - including the tools he’d use to find them. If private label sales are proving to be a challenge, here’s how you can get your questions answered. The Friday episodes of The Amazing Seller podcast are aimed entirely at answering YOUR Amazon, business, marketing, and private label sales questions. If you are struggling to get your private label questions answered, Scott is the guy. If you want to know how to do better list building and online marketing, Scott’s here to help. Don’t miss these Friday episodes. Not only can you find out how to ask your own questions, you can also hear answers to other sellers’ questions - and that will help you as well! OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this Q&A episode of the podcast! [4:32] QUESTION ONE: Just launched my first PL product and I’m curious if my products isn’t rising in the rankings due to being a new seller? [17:30] QUESTION TWO: Since there are no longer discounts in exchange for reviews what do we do to get reviews from now on? [26:39] QUESTION THREE: What is the best way to research the best keywords for my products? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - ask your questions. Merchant Words Long Tail Pro Keyword Inspector www.TheAmazingSeller.com/resources (affiliate links included) www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop

It’s almost every week that somebody says Amazon is too crowded for anyone to build a successful business selling private label products. But this episode should prove to you that those are entirely false beliefs. This episode features a couple who started out selling products via retail arbitrage but soon transitioned into wholesale products from China that turned into a successful business. It wasn’t overnight and it took a lot of hard work and smart product research but this couple has done it. You can hear every step of their process and the things they’ve done to keep the ball rolling on this episode. How to get past the discouragement to become successful selling on Amazon. In any business, you’ve got to understand that discouragements are going to come. So what can you do to prepare yourself for the discouraging times? How can you set your mind in such a way that you’re more likely to press forward than give up? One of the most important things you can do is to find yourself an encouragement partner. That could be a person who is committed to cheering you on during the difficult times, or it could be an actual business partner like the couple featured on this episode. They have found that when one of them is down the other is able to encourage so they keep moving forward together. What’s your strategy for staying encouraged? Find out how it works for this couple, on this episode. Did you know that you can be rid of Amazon product hijackers once and for all? One of the best things that has happened on the Amazon platform in a very long time is that the powers that be at the Big A have added a new perk to the benefits of brand registering your products. Once you have a brand approved on Amazon it is now impossible for anyone else to begin listing products under your product listings unless they first ask your approval to do so. That is an incredible benefit to private label sellers, virtually eliminating the possibility of hijackers taking over your listing. On this episode Scott and his guests talk about the safety and power of this new ruling, so be sure you listen. Product research criteria #1: Less than 100 product reviews in all of the top 10 listings. When Scott asked this amazing couple what they were looking for when it came to product ideas one of the things they said is a non-negotiable for them is that every one of the top 10 products in any niche they consider must have less than 100 reviews. If you’ve been researching product ideas on Amazon for any length of time that may sound impossible to you but this couple says they find products that fall within that criteria almost every week. You can hear how they are finding them and the tools that make their search easy, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. How poorly optimized Amazon product listing are something you can use to your advantage. When you’re checking out the listings of the competition in a niche where you are considering a possible product launch one of the things you need to look at carefully is how well the competitor’s product listings are optimized. If you find low-resolution pictures or a small number of pictures that’s a sign that you might be able to quickly capture the sales in that category by optimizing your own listing much better than theirs. That’s just one of the product research tips given on this episode by a couple who’s become very successful at selling private label products without resorting to PPC or giveaways. Find out more by listening. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this great interview edition of the podcast! [1:45] The importance of having support in your business journey. [6:20] The backstory behind this amazing success. [12:40] Pressing forward in spite of the discouragement. [17:31] The idea that sparked interest and the product research process that followed. [22:40] Hijacker problems and how they dealt with the threat. [26:59] The new benefits of brand registry some are experiencing. [31:53] Future product ideas the path ahead. [33:29] The product research criteria this couple is using and how they apply it. [40:24] How the product listings are being optimized. [53:50] The price point these products hit. [47:55] Moving from non-branded to branded products. [50:58] Tips to those who are skeptical about whether Amazon will work these days. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - the Facebook community www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - the free workshops you can attend Pat Flynn Alibaba The $500 challenge episode AliExpress www.TheAmazingSeller.com/201 - Hijacker episode Jungle Scout

So many things having to do with Amazon private label sales change from week to week. With changes happening that rapidly it’s hard to keep abreast of everything and to actually KNOW how to apply the changes effectively for your brand and products. That’s why these TAS Power Hour episodes are so helpful. Three experienced Amazon sellers unpack the current happenings in the Amazon ecosphere on the spot, as they are announced so you can get some perspective on what’s happening and what it means to you. Be sure to listen - this is a great episode that covers a handful of very important topics that have happened lately. Are you using the enhanced listings for your Amazon products? Why not?!!! If you aren’t aware of it, you need to know, Amazon has now rolled out an amazing feature for anyone who has brand registered their products. You can now use the Amazon enhanced listing feature to build out your product listings very much like a long form sales landing page. The drag and drop format and enhanced formatting options like bold, underlining, and more make it possible for you to make your product listing incredibly attractive and powerfully effective as a sales tool. You’ve got to hear the details from the TAS Power Hour guys, on this episode. No more “dollar off” discount codes on Amazon products. It’s true. It used to be the case that you could create discount codes for your Amazon products in two different formats - dollars-off and percentage-off. But it’s not that way anymore. Amazon has now restricted the options to only allow percentage-off discounts. Why is this a big deal? Because the percentage option allows those who receive it to game the system - sort of - and cost you some extra cash as a seller. The guys unpack the issue on this TAS Power Hour episode so be sure you listen so you can know the best ways to use your offer codes. Does Amazon allow you to send discount codes to your email list? With all of the changes going on surrounding review policies on Amazon and the use of discounts in exchange for a review (which isn’t allowed anymore), many people are confused as to what is legal and what is not. One question that comes up over and over is whether or not you as a seller are allowed to send out discount codes for your products via your email list. On this episode of the TAS Power Hour the guys discuss that strategy - tell why it’s so powerful - and what Amazon really thinks about it. You’ve got to hear this one. It’s now possible to lock down your Amazon products to prevent hijackers. For a long time now, Scott and his buddies have been recommending that every person who is selling products on Amazon go through the process of brand registering their products so they can get in on the many benefits it brings. Now there’s another benefit that’s been added to the brand registry perks - and it's amazing! You can now essentially lock down your products so that anyone who wants to list a product under that listing has to ask YOUR permission to do so. It’s incredible. Find out how to take advantage of this new perk on this episode of The Amazing Seller. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this Power Hour episode of the podcast! [1:04] How you can get involved in the next LIVE workshop. [6:23] What is this about enhanced content for Amazon product listings? [18:49] Amazon changes the discount code options. [28:46] Are you allowed to send promo codes to your email list? [41:00] A giveaway experiment that is exploding in email opt-ins. [43:40] It’s now possible to lock down your products to prevent hijackers. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - get enrolled in the next LIVE workshop. Kickstarter ConvertKit Heyo Contest Domination King Sumo Click Funnels (affiliate) www.TheAmazingSeller.com/emails

It’s one thing to learn the hard way. It’s an even BETTER thing to learn from the hard mistakes that OTHER PEOPLE have made. You can be one of the smart people who learns from that second option by listening to this episode of The Amazing Seller. It’s one of the Friday, “Ask Scott” episodes where you are able to ask your questions, share your mistakes, and find out how to an experienced Amazon seller would handle your situation or circumstance. It’s a great way to learn from the experiences of others to shorten your learning curve and make your business more profitable, faster. What happens on Amazon when you change your product packaging? One of the listeners to The Amazing Seller podcast called in to ask Scott about the impact of changing his product packaging. He’s making improvements to the quality and appearance of his product, which is always a great thing to do for the sake of customer perception of your brand and products. But does a change in packaging change the way Amazon handles his products? Does it affect his product listings in any way? Is he going to run into trouble because his products are not exactly the same as they have been in the past? Scott Voelker has a great answer about this issue and even gives some advice about how to go about deciding on the better packaging options for your products - it's all on this episode. Use existing products and reviews to magnify sales of product variations. When you’ve got an existing product for sale on Amazon and the reviews have already been coming in, you’ve got a great asset that you need to capitalize on. But how do you do that? Scott’s got some suggestions for how you can use the reviews and the ratings on your current Amazon product SKUs to help you build brand awareness, cross-selling possibilities, and more for your related or variation products. He’s sharing those ideas on this “can’t miss” episode of the podcast, so be sure you make the time to listen. How to create a brand name or brand identity for your eCommerce products. We all know the brands that have dominated the retail industry. Nike. Apple. Harley Davidson. These companies are known for their brand identity as much as they are for the products or services they provide. How do you create a brand that is THAT powerful? Is there a simple but effective way to begin the process? Scott Voelker is a proponent of what he calls “Open Branding” and on this episode of The Amazing Seller Podcast, in response to a listener question, he walks through what it takes to build an open brand, what it means for you as a person growing a brand from nothing into prominence, and how you can get started today. What is your biggest eCommerce or Private Label struggle? Get a solution here. There’s nothing like an experienced voice of reason to come alongside you when you’re struggling to find an answer to a pain point or problem you have. In business, that can be extra helpful because every delay or misstep can cost you money. This is an “Ask Scott” episode of The Amazing Seller Podcast where Scott Voelker answers your eCommerce, business, and Amazon sales questions. You don’t have to learn all the lessons yourself by making mistakes. You can learn from someone who’s been down the road ahead of you and is happy to help you learn to navigate your journey using his mistakes and lessons learned. If you’re at all interested in eCommerce, this episode is a great introduction to what it takes to build a successful business. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this Q& A session of the podcast! [5:07] An upcoming TAS unofficial meetup in San Diego! [6:20] QUESTION ONE: Upgrading my packaging… does Amazon care? Does it change anything? [14:10] QUESTION TWO: When my product has variations and I stop selling the original SKU, will I lose the reviews I have accumulated? [20:28] QUESTION THREE: What is your process of coming up with an actual brand name? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - how you can ask your own questions www.TheAmazingSeller.com/288 - episode with Josh Bauerle about taxes www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - Register for 1 of 2 workshops www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - the TAS Facebook group

  It’s nearing the end of the year and most sellers are so busy preparing for a great fourth quarter that they aren’t thinking a bit about preparing for tax season. That’s pretty normal but could be a mistake. You’ve got to begin thinking through your tax liability a long time before tax season comes. That’s why Scott is doing this episode with his friend and business accountant, Josh Bauerle. Josh works with lots of online entrepreneurs and Amazon sellers and has a great deal of experience dealing with the tax implications of those kinds of businesses. You’re going to learn some great things from Josh on this episode so make sure you carve out the time to listen and get yourself ready for tax season. One of the biggest tax mistakes Amazon sellers make has to do with inventory. As a seller of online products you naturally have inventory. Inventory is the products you purchase to resell through your online platforms. You can write off your inventory when it comes to taxes - BUT inventory for tax purposes is NOT what you might think it is. You’ve got to know what the IRS considers to be inventory, how it handles these things, and how it requires you to keep your inventory records. Josh Bauerle is an expert on these things and he’s got a very clear explanation of how you need to handle your inventory issues - and he shares it on this episode. Sales tax is a real headache for eCommerce sellers. Do you know how to handle it? Every person or company who sells products online is liable for sales tax on those products. It's not only a federal issue, it also varies with each state in which the products are sold. If you spend even a small amount of time thinking about that you’ll realize that the potential sales tax liability for an Amazon private label seller can get pretty heavy, pretty quickly. And on top of all that, every state handles the rules differently. You’ve got to get this one figured out though - it could make or break your business. CPA Josh Bauerle is Scott’s guest on this episode and he’s got lots of wisdom for you regarding taxes and tax liability. Why it’s legally vital for you to keep business funds separate from personal funds. Many people start out in business flying by the seat of their pants. Every business expense and every personal expense seem to be the same thing because they are living off of the money they make from the business. But today’s guest, Josh Bauerle is a CPA who has worked with business people for a long time and he’s got some horror stories about the kind of things that can happen when you co-mingle your personal and business expenses. On this episode, he highlights the reasons you need to keep those funds separate and how you can easily track and coordinate them to keep you out of tax trouble. This section alone is worth the time it will take you to listen. Are you getting all the business tax deductions that are rightfully yours? When you start a business of any kind you’re going to spend money for a variety of things that go into the operation of your business. From office supplies, to educational resources, to trips, you can legally and ethically write off many of the expenses you have in order to decrease your tax liability. But there are guidelines for how you do it that you have to understand so that you don’t get yourself in trouble with the IRS. Find out how to do tax deductions the right way from Josh Bauerle, CPA on fire, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast with Josh Bauerle. [4:00] Josh’s experience with Amazon clients so far. [6:15] How you should track inventory for tax purposes. [11:18] The variety of business entity options you could form for your business. [16:30] The essential nature of using a separate checking account for your business. [20:00] The tax advantages of forming an S-corp. [25:50] What is sales tax and why it’s a mess for Amazon sellers. [33:30] The tax breaks that come through business deductions. [42:00] Why bookkeeping is vitally important for eCommerce sellers. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.CPAOnFire.com - Josh’s company website. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/143 AND www.TheAmazingSeller.com/241 - episodes where Josh was featured in the past. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/257 - episode about sales tax. www.TaxJar.com www.JungleScout.com Quickbooks Xero Wav Apps Freshbooks

In the business world these days you hear a ton of talk about mindset. There’s a reason for that. Mindset is one of the things that determines your progress and your ultimate level of success. And the good thing is that it’s one of the main things you can actually control. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott’s going deep with a friend of his, Ryan Daniel Moran about the development of a strong, success-oriented mindset. Both of them are convinced that the true bottleneck to success and growth is right between our ears. If you want to know how to break out of the limiting mindset habits you have, you’ve got to hear this great episode. Often, the bottleneck in growth and success is mindset. What you believe is possible for you will naturally limit what you find possible practically. It’s a fact of life. If you don’t think you can lift a 50-pound weight, you won’t be able to do it. In fact, you might not even make the attempt. That’s a simple example of how mindset can be the bottleneck to many things in our lives. On this episode, Scott chats with his buddy Ryan Moran about this issue of mindset - and they go deep. You’ll learn a handful of strategies to help you reset your mindset over time and reach greater levels of success as a result. Beliefs TIMES strategy and execution TIMES time = results One of the most powerful things Ryan Moran shares on this episode of The Amazing Seller is his formula for how our mindset impacts our results. Here it is: Beliefs TIMES strategy and execution TIMES time EQUAL results. What it means is that what you believe will be multiplied through the approach and actions you take and over time your results will come about. It’s a bit confusing to see in print but Ryan explains it incredibly well on this episode, so be sure you listen. The 10X exercise is a way you can stretch your perception of what is normal and possible One of the things Ryan Moran does with those who he coaches and who attend his events is what he calls “The 10X Exercise.” He has you write down the level of income you are experiencing right now. Then he has you write down where you want to be. Then - one more step - he has you write down 10 times what you want. A very interesting thing begins to happen as people write down that 10X number, something most people don’t anticipate. Do you know what it is? On this episode, Ryan shares the story and tells you what it reveals about mindset, beliefs about possibility, and more - on this episode. Association and input determine what you believe is possible Everyone is a product of the environment they have lived within. The things you hear as “normal” are the things you come to believe ARE normal. It’s THAT perception of what is normal that dictates what you believe is possible. How do you stretch that boundary? How do you get yourself to believe that more is possible for you, for your business? On this episode Ryan Moran shares some of the ways he’s found it possible to break through those perceived limitations for himself, so be sure you listen to find out how you can begin moving into a place of greater success and possibility. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode with his guest Ryan Moran of Freedom Fast Lane. [3:54] Why Ryan believes that you are wired for the results you are getting right now. [7:14] What does Ryan put into his head regularly (and why does he put on events)? [10:25] Beliefs TIMES strategy and execution TIMES time = results. [17:08] How you can break through the mindset limitations you have. [22:54] How tiny habits lead to greater success - eventually. [28:06] What happens when you attain your goal? What then? [32:15] The power of active appreciation in determining value. [46:58] Tactical things you can do to change your mindset. [55:00] The upcoming event Ryan is hosting in Austin, TX. [59:21] The type of people you’ll meet at Ryan’s event in Austin. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.FreedomFastLaneLive.com - Ryan’s upcoming event www.FreedomFastLane.com - Ryan’s site and podcast www.TheAmazingSeller.com/69 - the previous episode with Ryan BOOK: The Slight Edge BOOK: The Compound Effect and the Compound Effect Audio Book

There are always ways to learn. There are always ways to build your existing business even bigger. These Friday episodes of The Amazing Seller podcast are aimed at helping you learn how to do that by answering your Amazon private label or eCommerce questions. On this episode you’ll hear real-life questions from real-life sellers who are doing their part to learn how to build a business or make their existing business bigger. You can learn a lot by listening to the questions and answers on this “Ask Scott” episode of the show. What’s the best way to get my brick-and-mortar products selling on Amazon? One of the callers on this “Ask Scott” episode is curious what he needs to do in order to bring his existing products - that he sells in his physical location - onto the Amazon sales platform. Scott thinks this is an amazingly helpful question because in his view, every person who is already selling things offline should immediately (if not sooner) get their products listed on Amazon. On this episode, Scott’s going to share why he thinks this person should get his products onto Amazon and how he should go about it. It’s a great response to a very good question that you’ll want to hear. How do I enter a market if I’m concerned that it might be too saturated? If you are curious about what it takes to build a successful product business on Amazon then you need to hear the question one of Scott’s listeners asked on this episode. She’s curious how she can determine if a specific market she’s interested in is too crowded with sellers - and beyond that, she wants to know if there is a way that she can begin to offer products within the wider market without coming into direct competition with the big players. Scott’s got some very creative and interesting approaches to this question and he shares his ideas on this episode. What are the best ways to work alongside your spouse in a business partnership? One of Scott’s listeners is eager to get started with Amazon private label sales. He and his wife have been listening to the show together and want to work on their Amazon business as a team. He called in to ask for Scott’s advice regarding how to best work together with a significant other. He’s concerned about the stress and potential for difficulty and conflict - so he wants to head those things off before they get started by applying Scott’s great advice. What would you tell him? You can hear Scott’s answer and suggestions on this episode. Do you have a question about business, eCommerce, or selling private label products? It’s always good to have an experienced person in your corner, a coach or advisor who can point you in the right direction and give you their lessons-learned from experience. That’s what this “Ask Scott” episode of The Amazing Seller podcast is all about. You can call in to leave a voicemail question for Scott Voelker and he’ll do his very best to answer your question - and include it in one of the next Friday episodes of the show. You can find out how to ask your question and get an answer from Scott by listening to this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast! [2:07] A quick favor! Would you subscribe to the show and share it? [3:45] QUESTION ONE: How would you maximize reviews when I am moving existing products to Amazon from a different platform? [10:33] QUESTION TWO: How to I discern how saturated markets are? [17:10] QUESTION THREE: What advice would you give to those who are married and want to go into business together? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - ask your questions! www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - find out about upcoming live events

One of the things Scott and Chris do on The Amazing Seller podcast now and then are “hot seat” sessions where they look at a real-life Amazon product listing to suggest tweaks to the listing and give advice about how to optimize the product for better sales. This episode of the show is exactly that - and it’s a bit different than usual because the product they are looking at is in a very competitive niche with competitive products that are well established and making lots of sales. How would you approach the promotion of a product given those circumstances? You can hear how Scott and Chris would do it on this episode. Is it smart to go after a super competitive product niche? On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott and Chris are looking at an Amazon product listing that is in a very competitive niche. The product owner asked the guys to look it over and give some suggestions about how he can increase his sales and gain more of the market share. But neither Scott nor Chris would have tried to sell this product in the first place because the market is crowded with heavy-hitting competitors. But now that the product is established and selling what should the product owner do? You can hear how Scott and Chris would approach it on this episode of the show. Why an external strategy is key for products in a competitive product market. Much of the reason that new products in competitive niches don’t have much chance of becoming popular with buyers is because of the social proof the larger, more established products have. They may have thousands of positive reviews when the new product is first introduced, which makes it an uphill climb to gain any share of the market. If a product like this is going to gain any traction it’s going to come from building a mailing list and doing promotions outside of Amazon. On this episode Scott and Chris walk you through how they’d do that and why it’s so important - so be sure you listen! Should you create a lead-in product to stimulate existing product sales? If you have a product that is being overshadowed by dominant competition there is a long-term approach you can take to gain ground in the market. Scott calls it a lead-in product. Here’s how it works: You begin offering a second product that has a less crowded market but is related to your first product. You do the things you need to do in order to get it selling then offer the first product (the one that’s difficult to sell) as an “also bought” or related product. It’s one way to come at buyers from the back door, giving them the opportunity to see your great product through another product's channel. You can hear Scott describe how he’d go about creating that kind of related product on this episode. Do you know how to target your Amazon product to a specific person? Many Amazon sellers feel that their product listings are optimized when there are many things they could do to make their listing more compelling. One of the things Chris and Scott suggest is to change the wording of your bullet points to reflect the benefits a specific type of person would experience if they were to buy your product. It’s called targeting - aiming your product at the person most likely to purchase your product - and you do it by getting into their world and determining what would be of greatest benefit to them relating to your product. Scott and Chris give some great examples of how to do it on this episode, so be sure you take the time to listen. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [1:20] The hot seat topic: My competitive product is not getting sales. [2:59] Chris’ impression of this product and market in question. [5:18] Is it smart to go after a very competitive product? [7:20] Why the “external strategy” is going to be key for this product’s sales success. [9:38] The vital nature of Pay Per Click with a product like this. [11:21] The importance of a well optimized listing. [15:00] Consider the idea of lead-in products to enhance an existing product. [17:39] How you can take advantage of related products to your existing product. [23:10] You can target your product to a specific person for more sales. [27:15] The main areas for this product to focus on. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - get in on the next free workshop

The second TAS Breakthrough LIVE event just wrapped up and the amazing conversations and ideas that happened are hard to describe after the fact. But on this episode, Scott and Chris are going to give it a shot! So take some time to listen in to find out if events like this are something that could move your online business forward in the future. These two guys are sold on the value of these events and even read powerful testimonials about how this event served to move the businesses of other people forward. So sit back, listen to what these two guys learned, and how you can get involved in a similar group or event in the future. The important role that personal connections make in the advancement of your business. Everyone knows what it feels like to be discouraged. And conversely, everyone knows how good it feels to be encouraged by someone who is like-minded and gets where you are headed. There’s nothing like it. Chris and Scott have learned that events like TAS Breakthrough LIVE are a wonderful place for people who are working in a specific niche to gather, learn from each other’s experiences (successes and failures), brainstorm ideas for making each other more successful, and much more. But none of it will happen if you aren’t in a situation where you can be encouraged in those ways. Find out how you can connect with these events yourself, on this episode. Once you’ve got a private label product on Amazon should you go wide or go deep? Once you start to experience a bit of success selling private label products on Amazon you have a decision to make. Are you going to sit back and be satisfied with your current level of success or are you going to press forward to grow your success? If you’re going to press forward you have another decision to make. Are you going to go wide by finding building new brands that are unrelated to your current product? Or are you going to go deep by adding adjacent products that make your current products even more effective? On this episode, Scott and Chris talk about a scenario they discussed with the group who attended the TAS Breakthrough LIVE event where a current successful Amazon seller was asking this question. Should you use Kickstarter to launch your products? It’s possible, but not easy. If you are looking to launch a private label product on Amazon there are many ways you can go about it. But every one of them is going to require hard work and effective marketing. At the latest TAS Breakthrough LIVE event, one of the hot seat sessions focused on a successful Amazon seller (he’s making $25K per month presently) who has used Kickstarter to launch every one of his current products. In every case, he’s had a successful campaign that fully funded his product launch, but he wants to do even more. The guys had a great time helping him think through his Kickstarter strategy, why he’s doing things in that way, and what his end goal is for his Amazon business efforts. You’ve got to hear this part of the conversation, it’s a fresh look at the product launch approach that you’ll enjoy hearing. There’s often potential to grow your brand even if you’re already successful. At the recent TAS Breakthrough LIVE event, one of the people on the hot seat was trying to decide how she could grow her brand even more, even though she was already selling $80K per month. What? Isn’t that successful enough? Maybe, but it depends on your end goals. This seller wanted to build her brand even more and was unaware of some very obvious things she could do to make what she’s currently doing even more successful and the hot seat session helped her get clarity on a game plan for moving forward and reaching even higher levels of success. You’ve got to hear her amazing story. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [2:23] The value of sitting down around a table with successful people. [5:54] A powerful testimony from the last TAS Breakthrough LIVE event. [10:20] The type of “what if”s that push everyone in the room forward. [19:51] A hot seat example from the event: Do I go broad or deep? [24:55] Another situation discussed at the event: Using Kickstarter to launch products. [33:44] $80K per month selling multiple SKUs: should she grow or start a new brand? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - get on the waiting list for the next event. www.Kickstarter.com Splitly www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Workshop - get in on the next workshop.

It’s always good to learn from the success and failure of someone who is already down the same road you’re walking. That’s one of the reasons Scott does these Friday “Ask Scott” episodes of The Amazing Seller podcast. You can hear other real-life Amazon private label sellers call in to ask Scott a question about their private label sales issues - and who knows, you may hear a question that addresses an issue you’ve been dealing with yourself. My seasonal product has almost sold out. Should I replenish or wait until the next season? On this episode of The Amazing Seller podcast a listener called Scott to ask what he should do in regard to his inventory. He sells a seasonal product that is very successful in the summer months, so it makes sense that in November he’s almost out of stock. He’s curious if it makes sense for him to replenish his product inventory now or to wait to make those purchases until right before his busy season. If you take the time to listen you’ll get to hear how Scott thinks about it - why he believes he's got the best approach - and you might be surprised by his answer. Can I create a bundle as a variation of my existing product? A listener called in to ask if he can create a bundle product (more than one item included in the one product listing) but do it as a variation of an existing product. He wants to benefit from the reviews and sales he’s already gotten on the “mother” product and would love to do so by adding this bundle as a variation. Do you know the answer to his question? On this episode, Scott answers the question and goes on to give some ideas about bundling products that will work for  Amazon sellers. Is it harder to get started on Amazon today? Many people out there in internet land have insisted that the Amazon ship has sailed. They say the market is too crowded, too many people are snatching up the good product ideas, and you don’t have a chance to get significant sales from selling private label products through Amazon. On this episode of the podcast, a caller asked Scott if he thinks there’s still room to successfully sell products on Amazon, and Scott’s answer is a resounding, “YES!” You can learn why Scott feels that selling products on Amazon is still one of the best ways to get a business started by listening to this episode. Why Amazon private label is a great place to start and a terrible place to stop. While the Amazon marketplace is still a viable option for starting your own product sales business (you can hear why Scott believes so in answer to a listener question, on this episode), Scott believes that Amazon is a terrible place to stop your business efforts. On this episode, Scott reveals why taking action is vital - and how Amazon private label can help you do that - but he also briefly unpacks why it’s important that you don’t plant your flag on Amazon alone. If you listen, you’ll get a lot of insight from a guy who’s been doing e-commerce and Amazon sales for some time. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode! [0:45] Why change and flexibility are always part of life - and why we have to adapt and expand beyond our comfort zones. [6:00] QUESTION ONE: My seasonal product is running out of inventory, should I replenish my products now or wait until before the next big season? [13:26] QUESTION TWO: Can I create a bundle as a variation? If so, can I create different titles and bullets for it? [19:28] QUESTION THREE: Is it too late to get into Amazon private label sales given the reviews in the niche I’m considering? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Ask - how you can ask your question. www.eBay.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Workshop - find out the workshops you can attend. Google Trends www.CamelCamelCamel.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/189 - product research episode

One of the things Scott and his buddies have been enjoying are the Friday afternoon chats they have about Amazon private label sales, e-commerce, online business, and much more. They’ve been having so much fun they decided to start recording them so you can benefit from their experiences and insights. On this episode, the guys talk about Amazon lightning deals, yet ANOTHER change to the Amazon Terms of Service regarding product reviews, product giveaways, off Amazon sales channels, and much more. Be sure to listen to their great conversation. What’s an Amazon lightning deal and how do they work? One of the ways Amazon enables sellers to move products is through offering lightning deals. You’ve got to be approved to participate but once you are you can offer your products at discounted prices for a short period of time - but the bonus is that Amazon HELPS YOU promote them in a handful of ways. It’s a great opportunity to sell a lot of products quickly if you know how to use them. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott and his buddies chat about some lightning deal experiences they’ve had recently and how they didn’t pan out as successfully as they had hoped. Amazon is changing the review policies AGAIN! Get the scoop on the most recent changes. It was just a few weeks ago that Amazon changed its terms of service regarding product reviews that prohibits discounting products in exchange for reviews. Now it seems that those rules are changing again and it’s surprising that this time it’s AMAZON that’s encouraging a certain type of discount in exchange for reviews… and it has to do with gift cards. Want to know the whole story? The guys chat about this new development on this episode. Contests and giveaways: new ideas you can use to sell your Amazon products. More and more creative ways of using contests and product giveaways are being devised where you can encourage people to enter your drawing - thereby building your email list - in hopes of winning one of your products. And there are ways of doing this outside of Amazon, including social media, that can really ramp up your opt-ins and sales at the same time. Find out some of the ways people are successfully using giveaways to promote their products, on this episode. In order to move your business forward, you have to keep learning. When it comes to setting up contests and sales channels outside of Amazon it’s easy for private label sellers to get intimidated and scared. There’s a lot to learn and it can be a bit confusing when you first start. But on this episode, Chris Shaffer makes the point that everything is at least a little bit confusing when you first start. But once you make the commitment to dive in, learn, and master the process involved in learning the new system you’re able to get it running and working for you in a relatively short period of time. If you’re interested in finding out how to build your business outside of Amazon you’re going to learn a lot from this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the TAS Power Hour. [4:10] How you can get in on the next event in Phoenix. [5:02] A lightning deal FAIL story - and why it happened. [14:09] Yet ANOTHER change to Amazon’s review policy. [19:10] Giveaway ideas you can use to sell more products. [39:00] The learning curve issues of using new platforms. [43:10] TAS Canada. [49:20] Updates from Amazon about a variety of issues. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - get in on the next event. RaffleCopter www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Canada

When Amazon changed its policy concerning discounts given in exchange for product reviews the private label sales community exploded. People panicked, bailed out of Amazon, and encouraged others to do the same. But much of it was an overreaction. The companies and sellers who were doing well long before the policy changes adjusted their strategies and continued making a killing selling their products on Amazon. One of the people who was dramatically impacted by the change was Greg Mercer. His company, Review Kick had to entirely rebrand and change its business model but is still viable and running effectively. Today Scott is chatting with Greg about the things he’s learned from the changes and how he sees Amazon handling the issues it affects. What did Amazon’s attorneys have to say about the review policy changes? One of the opportunities Greg Mercer had when the Amazon terms of service changed - no longer allowing discounts in exchange for product reviews - was to speak personally with attorneys from Amazon’s legal team to understand the particulars of what the changes mean on a practical level. Today Greg shares what he learned from his conversation with the Amazon legal team and how he understands the terms of service now that they’ve changed. You won’t want to miss what Greg has to share. It could save you a bunch of headaches in the future. Why private label sales on Amazon is an even better opportunity. When Scott asked his friend Greg Mercer if he still thinks Amazon private label sales is a good opportunity for those who want to start their own online business, Greg said that he believes it’s an even better opportunity than before. He thinks that Amazon’s penchant for changing the rules periodically has scared off those who are unwilling to work hard - those only looking for an easy buck. That leaves more room for those who understand what it takes to build a successful business and are willing to put in the effort. You can hear the ways Greg thinks the recent review policy changes will improve the ability to sell on Amazon on this episode. How the policy changes at Amazon impacted a business built on Amazon reviews. Greg Mercer is the head of a company called Review Kick. The focus of the company was to help Amazon sellers get more reviews - and they did so by helping sellers effectively promote discounts in exchange for a review. But Amazon’s terms of service recently changed and that practice is no longer allowed. As you can imagine, it was potentially devastating news for Greg and his team. But rather than throw in the towel they decided to pivot and make their business better than ever, even creating an avenue to expand their user base outside of Amazon sellers. You can hear how Review Kick became Jump Send, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. How you can effectively use deal sites to promote your products. One of the concerns about Amazon’s changes to its review policy is that any discount offer sellers make might prohibit those discounted customers from being able to leave a review. But Greg Mercer doesn’t think that’s the case. In fact, he’s done a few product promotions on his own since the changes went into effect and has seen reviews of those discounted products post on Amazon. On this episode, Greg gives you his take on what the Amazon legal team says about the new policy changes and tells you how he’s used deal sites like JumpSend to promote his own products. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast and his guest, Greg Mercer! [2:36] Why Scott invited Greg onto the show again so soon. [3:53] Greg’s perspective of the day Amazon announced their review changes. [5:30] Why Greg believes Amazon private label is still a great opportunity. [7:40] Revealing conversations Greg has recently had with attorneys from Amazon. [14:20] Do purchases made with discounts limit the purchaser’s ability to review? [19:48] Changes to Greg’s service - Review Kick as a result. [22:40] The best uses of deal sites like JumpSend - and will Amazon target them? [28:09] How Greg is retraining his current subscribers to abide by Amazon policies. [31:28] The future of Amazon from Greg’s perspective. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Slick Deals JumpSend FatWallet www.TheAmazingSeller.com/JS - affiliate link to Jungle Scout

Fridays are one of Scott’s favorite days of the week because it’s the day that the Ask Scott session of the podcast hits the airwaves. These episodes are designed to do nothing more than help you get your answers about Amazon private label or e-commerce sales answered. Scott’s got years of experience in both realms and is eager to help you become successful selling your products online. If you want to ask Scott a question about your particular situation you can find out exactly how to do that on this episode of the podcast. Who knows, maybe you’ll be featured on a future episode of the show! I’m having some issues with my supplier putting my logo on my product. Can you help? A listener called in to ask Scott about a problem he’s having with his supplier. He’s trying to get his product branded by having the logo imprinted on the product but the supplier is telling him there is not enough space to do a good job of it. He’s curious how this will impact his possibilities of getting his product in Amazon’s brand registry and if there are any other options Scott can think of to get his branding on his product. As you might expect, Scott’s got a great answer for him that includes a couple of possible solutions. Can I get multiple manufacturers to work together to create product bundles for me? One of the approaches to building a unique product on Amazon that Scott often suggests is through bundling your primary product with an accessory or other related product. When you do you’re able to offer something that no other Amazon seller is able to offer. It’s a great way to stand out. Today a caller asks if Scott knows of a way he could get his product suppliers (he uses more than one) to work together to bundle his products for him. That way he won't have to have the products shipped to his house and be required to do the work himself. Scott actually knows somebody who is doing that exact thing and has some suggestions for how the caller can handle the situation. How can I discourage others from copying my product? An Amazon seller who is just starting called Scott to ask if there is a way she can discourage others from copying her product now that it’s selling pretty well (15 units a day). Without knowing the particulars of her product and market it’s hard for Scott to give detailed answers but there are some guiding principles he has to share that might help this seller - so he shares them on this episode. If you’d like to do your best to make your product the stand-out item in your market, Scott’s answer to this question may be just what you’re looking for. Should I work to keep ahead of my competition in terms of reviews? Positive product reviews are important when it comes to Amazon products. They lend a sense of legitimacy to your product, telling potential customers that others have bought and enjoyed your product. But is it important to make sure that you stay ahead of your competition when it comes to the number of reviews you have on your product? On this episode, Scott dives into the issue of reviews and outlines how good reviews help a product and at what point the number of reviews begins to lose its significance. Are you interested to know what he has to say about it? You can find out by listening to this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast! [1:40] How you can submit your own questions. [2:15] The word of the week: Kindness! [6:34] QUESTION ONE: Problems getting my logo on a product. What are my options? [11:58] QUESTION TWO: Any ideas to get manufacturers to work together for bundling? [17:31] QUESTION THREE: How can I discourage others from copying my product? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - Ask your questions Dollar Shave Club

Brainstorming Amazon private label and e-commerce strategies is something Scott and his buddies love to do. They have been connecting on Fridays for a while now to do that and thought it would be great to record their conversations and publish them for you to hear. That’s what this episode of The Amazing Seller is - and they’re calling it the TAS Power Hour. And more than simply pontificating about what’s going on they also field questions from people who are watching on Facebook Live and Periscope so you can hear them address real-life scenarios and questions as well. Does driving traffic to my Amazon listing help my ranking? It’s a good idea to drive traffic to your product listings on Amazon. No question about it. But you have to understand that while it’s a great thing to get people to your product, if they don’t actually buy the product you could be hurting yourself. On this episode of The Amazing Seller Scott and the guys chat a bit about how the Amazon Algorithm calculates a product’s popularity from visits to the product page. It turns out the action visitors take from there has a huge impact on whether or not the product is ranked higher or lower. How long do they stay on the page? Do they buy? Do they click away from the page? All of it matters, so be sure you listen to discover the best strategies. What are the best ways to get my product to page 1 - besides pay per click? Amazon pay per click is definitely the simplest way to get your products listed at the top of the search rankings, but it costs money. Are there other ways you can rank your products without spending that kind of money? Scott, Chris, and Don say there are only two other ways. The first is to sell products. They don’t say that in a smart alec way but because it’s true. If you could sell products consistently without any PPC or advertising of any kind, Amazon would organically rank you at the top of your category because sales are the main thing the algorithm looks at. But there is another thing you can do to maximize your potential of landing your product on page one, and Scott and the guys tell you what it is on this episode. Is it OK to include inserts in my product packaging? What should I include on them? There has been some debate about whether or not it’s OK with Amazon’s terms of service to insert some kind of promotional or call to action card inside your product packaging. Scott, Chris, and Don all feel that it’s totally legitimate to do so. But if you’re going to do it, what should you put on that card? The guys talk about insert cards at length on this episode and address a number of possible things you could include. If you want to know what they think is the absolute best use of insert cards, you need to listen to this Power Hour episode. What’s the best way to create product giveaways? One of the strategies that Scott, Don, and Chris recommend for promoting your products is the use of product giveaways. You’re able to gather email addresses of people who are interested in your products and get eyes on your products at the same time. But there are ways of doing it that are not quite as good as others and the guys walk through the reasons behind using a professional giveaway service on this episode. If you’re considering a product giveaway you’ll get a good deal of insight from this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this TAS power hour edition of the podcast! [3:47] Clarifying the new review rules - from conversations with Amazon. [13:46] The best way to get ranking after running out of stock. [15:00] Does outside traffic help ranking within Amazon? [16:18] The only ways to get to page #1 besides pay per click. [19:34] Best practices for product insert cards. [21:02] Emailing your customers? Here’s how you can do it. [23:39] How can you target people outside of Amazon? [31:00] The balance of when to make offers to your email list - and when not to. [38:51] Giveaways and the platforms you can use to set them up. [43:00] What are lightning deals and how do the guys use them? [56:00] Books the guys recommend. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - TAS Facebook Group www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Hour - The TAS Page JumpSend BOOK: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook ShortStack KingSumo 22Social Heyo Lightning Deals BOOK: Crush It BOOK: Essentialism BOOK: The One Thing

If you’ve got question or curiosities banging around in your head about selling products online, Amazon private label, online marketing or business, then you have hit the jackpot! This episode of the Amazing Seller podcast is aimed at answering questions that every day people ask about selling products online or anything else related to online business. You can ask your questions by listening to this episode and following the link Scott shares. Nothing is out of bounds so be sure you take the time to listen and then ASK your questions. What should I do? I’ve found someone selling my products on eBay! A listener called in to ask Scott about something she’s discovered: her products are being sold by someone on eBay. What many private label sellers don’t know is that there are a handful of software packages out there that can be populated with information from an Amazon product listing and then posted automatically on eBay. These software packages can even monitor the price of your items and raise or lower the eBay price automatically in response. Is that something you should be concerned about? If so, what can you do about it? You’ll get to hear Scott’s response on this episode of The Amazing Seller. I’m trying to determine if a product niche is a good one to get into. Can you guide me? When you’re considering a product to sell on Amazon as a private label item you want to do some careful product research. But you don’t want to look ONLY at the product and similar products, you also want to look at the entire market surrounding that product. By doing that you can determine if there is enough demand for those types of products to expect that your product would be able to garner enough sales to make the work worth it. Scott goes deep into the issue on this episode so be sure you listen so you can learn how to research a product and market effectively. I got a sample product from my supplier and it doesn’t look like the picture I was shown. When you order products from a supplier, whether a U.S. supplier or a foreign supplier, you want to ensure that you’re getting exactly what you want - in terms of quality and appearance. If you ever receive a sample product or even your final product and it’s not exactly what you want it to be like, you need to remember that you are building a business. You want everything to be top quality for your customers and for the sake of representing your brand. How should you handle a situation where the product you receive is not what you want? Scott’s got the answer on this episode. I’m ready to create a logo and packaging for my product. Where do I start? One of the most important aspects of your overall product design is - believe it or not - the logo and packaging. Those are the first impression your customers will have of your product so you want it to be the best it can be. You don’t want to cut corners here because what you present to your customer first is what will represent the quality and feel of your entire business from that point forward. On this episode, Scott gives some great advice about how to find a good graphic designer or package supply company to represent your brand exactly as you want.   OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER   [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this Ask Scott session of the podcast! [5:05] QUESTION ONE: I’ve noticed that people are selling my actual product on eBay. What should I do? [12:06] QUESTION TWO: How do I know if a product niche is the best for me? [17:52] QUESTION THREE: My product sample is not like it was represented on the supplier’s website. [24:15] QUESTION FOUR: Where should I go to get a good logo or label created? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - Get in on the next TAS Breakthrough LIVE Scott(at)theAmazingSeller.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - ask your own questions. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - The Amazing Seller Facebook Page www.eBay.com SlickDeals Google Trends www.CamelCamelCamel.com www.Keepa.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/276 www.TopWinInspection.com www.Fiverr.com 99 Designs

  One of the most dreaded and devastating things that every Amazon private label seller fears is account suspension. Remember, all of us are playing on Amazon’s playground and they are the ones who get to make and enforce the rules as they understand them. That means that for any number of reasons the items you sell can be reviewed by the Amazon powers that be and be rejected - even after you’ve been selling them successfully for some time. That’s the exact scenario Eric experienced and he’s with us to tell his story on this episode of the Amazing Seller. Scott isn’t trying to scare you by highlighting Eric's story. He wants to help you avoid these problems with insights from Eric’s experience. You can’t depend on Amazon private label as your only source of income. If you do, it’s only a matter of time until you'll wish you’d diversified your sources of revenue. The reason is that Amazon can and does change things from time to time. The changes often come without warning and in areas that dramatically impact the way you sell and offer your products. Changes of this nature can impact your income dramatically overnight. On this episode, Eric shares a situation where Amazon’s decision about his products slashed his income instantly, he lost his page 1 ranking, and almost got kicked off of Amazon entirely. Please listen to Eric’s story to hear the reasons Amazon put his products on the chopping block so you can safeguard yourself and your products the best you can. The choice not to inspect his products almost got him booted from Amazon. Eric’s products were selling like crazy. He had great revenue coming in every week, was ranked on page 1 for many of his keywords, and things were running smoothly. At one point he needed to reorder products and decided to shortcut his normal process by not doing an inspection of the products between the supplier and Amazon. In that shipment, some of his products didn’t have a clearly stamped logo on them (they were blurry) and customers complained that they had received a “generic” product. Those complaints served as a red flag to Amazon and Eric’s product was suspended without any questions. What did he do to rectify the situation? You can hear the entire process on this episode. Much of the advice you read about importing products from China is wrong. Since building his successful Amazon FBA business Eric has moved on to become director of marketing for a company that is American owned but with boots on the ground in China. What he’s come to discover since going to work for the company is that much of what he’d read online by supposed experts about China manufacturing and sourcing is flat out wrong. On this episode Eric shares some great resources you can use to find out the truth about sourcing products from China and how you can safeguard your investment even more, so be sure you listen. Learn how to sell private label products on Amazon from this free workshop. Every now and then Scott Voelker offers a free private label workshop that walks would-be Amazon sellers through the 5 steps he’s discovered for researching, sourcing, purchasing, shipping, branding, and listing a product on Amazon. If you’ve been eager to learn how to source your own private label products you won’t believe how much incredible knowledge Scott shares for free in this workshop. Take the time to listen to this episode so you can hear how to get involved in the next private label workshop. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast about account suspension. [4:15] Eric’s background: how he got started selling Amazon FBA. [8:08] The need for diversification in your online business efforts. [9:06] How Eric’s account was suspended by Amazon. [12:33] The back and forth process with Amazon trying to reconcile things. [19:24] Tracking down the reasons his products were refused by Amazon. [22:24] Why the inspection process is so vital for every shipment. [27:42] A recent change Eric has made in his business path. [34:31] Great resources you can find to learn about importing from China. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - get in on the next PL workshop. www.GuidedImports.com www.Alibaba.com www.AliExpress.com  

More often than we’d like to admit our choice of a private label product was not the best choice we could have made. It’s either got too much competition or is not in a viable market to expect sufficient volume of sales. When that happens your sales can stall out or never get started at all. If you’ve done everything you can to get your listing optimized and jump start sales but still can’t get things moving, you may need to liquidate those products. On today’s episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott chats with Brad Kugler, who is an experienced liquidator both online and offline. Brad shares some amazingly generous tips on things you can do to sell your products and cut your losses. You won’t want to miss this one. What does it mean to liquidate your products? Anytime you run into a situation where your products are not selling as quickly or for as much as you had anticipated and you forecast that future sales will not be much different, you may be in a situation that requires that you liquidate your products, cut your losses, and move on to another product. Liquidating is the process of selling your products at the best price you can in order to recoup some of the money you’ve spent on the products so you can move on. Today’s episode features a professional liquidator, Brad Kugler. He’s got lots of tips to share about how you can do your own product liquidation quickly. Can you use eBay to get rid of products that aren’t selling? Brad Kugler says that one of the best tools that you can use to sell products that you want to get rid of is eBay. The platform seems to work very well for product liquidation and he has found that the buyers on eBay are very different from those who typically purchase through Amazon. Therefore you are able to get your products onto Ebay quickly, sell them faster, and get back the money you’ve invested so you can cut your losses and move on. On this episode Brad shares some tools you can use (most of them free) that will help you get your products on eBay and sold as quickly as possible. Is retail arbitrage success still possible on Amazon? One of the things Brad Kugler deals with often is the process of doing retail arbitrage. That’s because he often purchases bulk lots of items from stores or vendors that are liquidating and will resell those in whatever way he can. One of those ways is through retail arbitrage. When Scott discovered that Brad is familiar with the current state of retail arbitrage he asked what he thinks about the possibilities of successfully running a retail arbitrage business today. You might be surprised at what Brad has to say, so be sure you listen. Do you know about the Amazon Giveaways feature? One of the great Amazon tools that Brad Kruger recommends on this episode of The Amazing Seller is the “Amazon Giveaways” option. It’s a way that you can use the power of Amazon to promote products that you’re willing to giveaway to one winner. But all the other people who enter the contest receive a discount on the same product. This enables you to move a good number of units quickly because Amazon is the trusted source that’s promoting your contest. You’ve got to hear the tricks Brad has discovered to make the giveaway feature work for liquidations, so be sure you listen. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast about product liquidation! [2:51] What’s the best way to eliminate the need to liquidate products? [8:31] What Brad has been doing in the liquidation space since 1997. [13:23] What Brad’s business does today and how he recommends you liquidate. [19:44] What does Brad do with inventory he purchases? [22:53] What Brad thinks about the possibilities of retail arbitrage. [26:48] Tips for retail arbitrage on eBay. [32:00] Taking advantage of the Amazon Giveaways feature. [39:06] Using Facebook Groups to help you get rid of products. [42:20] Scott’s summary of the conversation. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.DVA.com - Brad’s website www.TheAmazingSeller.com/161 - with Greg Mercer www.TheAmazingSeller.com/189 - market and demand episode www.eBay.com www.JoeLister.com www.CamelCamelCamel.com TerraPeak

Many people who get started selling products online, whether on eBay, Amazon, or other sites run into snags and obstacles that they can’t figure out how to overcome. Wouldn’t it be great if someone who’s been in those shoes would advise you on what to do to overcome your obstacles? That’s why this “Ask Scott” episode on Fridays exists. Scott wants to help you navigate the sometimes troublesome world of online sales so you can be more successful and confident when it comes to marketing your products and building a business through private label sales or any other kind of online business. Be sure you listen so you can learn how to ask Scott a question. Under what circumstances can you place the ™ symbol on your products? A listener called in because he has a pending trademark application submitted to cover his private label product but he’s not sure what the rules are for whether or not he can include the trademark symbol on his product yet. Thankfully, this guy was smart enough to ask somebody who’s been down that road before - Scott Voelker. Scott’s got a very helpful answer for this listener but he also throws in some thoughts about whether or not worrying about those kinds of little details is really worth the energy and effort. You’ll find out what Scott thinks about it on this episode. Can Amazon re-sell your products they have damaged? If you are selling products on Amazon, every now and then you will receive a notification that one of your products was damaged in Amazon’s warehouse. When that happens the company typically asks you what you want to do with it and one of the options is to have Amazon reimburse you for the sales price of the product. What happens if you decide to take the reimbursement? Could Amazon then relist the product as “used” and list it under your original product listing? A listener to the show called in to say, “That’s what’s happened to me!” and wants to know what he can do about it. You can hear Scott’s answer on this episode of The Amazing Seller Is there such a thing as automated product discount codes? One of the strategies that many sellers follow during a product launch is the creation of discount codes to encourage initial sales of their product. A listener called in for this Ask Scott session to find out whether Scott knows of a way that he can produce single-use discount codes and distribute them without having to manually create them and send individual emails to every single person who wants the code. Scott has an answer for the guy on this episode, so be sure you listen to find out the best ways to use coupon codes in the current selling environment. Do you have an Amazon or online sales related question you’d like to ask? If you’re trying to build a business that sells products online, don’t reinvent the wheel or spend way too much time researching an issue on your own. Take advantage of the Friday episodes of The Amazing Seller - the Ask Scott sessions. Scott Voelker is ready to answer your questions about Amazon sales, private label, online marketing, and much more. Listen to this episode to get a feel for the kind of expertise Scott has to offer and to learn how you can ask your own questions. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast! [2:30] The pivot Scott is making in his business (not just a focus on Amazon). [4:01] QUESTION ONE: Under what circumstances can I place the “™” symbol on my name/product? [9:01] QUESTION TWO: Amazon is relisting my damaged products under my listing. What should I do? [14:57] QUESTION THREE: Can I set up single-use coupon codes without having to send manual emails to each person who is interested? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/273 - Episode with Chris Guthrie www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - Ask your own questions www.TheAmazingSeller.com/186 - Episode about copyright and trademarks Aweber MailChimp www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - Scott’s upcoming LIVE event.  

The recent changes to the Amazon review policies have lots of people panicking about whether there’s a future selling products on Amazon. Since everyone is still rebounding and trying to figure out what the new rules mean for sellers Scott thought he’d take some time to chat with his friend Chris Guthrie who has made it his business to help sellers communicate with their customers. The two of them chat about what these changes mean practically for sellers on this episode. These two guys know their stuff so you’ll get some great insights from what they are thinking and the strategies they are putting in place to help their businesses continue moving forward. When you play on somebody else’ playground the rules change. If you are going to try to sell your wares on a platform you don’t own (like Amazon, or Facebook, or eBay, or whatever) you’re going to have to play by their rules. And they get to set the rules. And change them. That’s what has happened on Amazon lately and though many people are crying that it’s not fair what you need to understand is that the people who run Amazon get to decide what they are going to require you to do as a seller on Amazon. Period. So you’ve not only got to learn to play by the Amazon rules, you’ve got to adapt each time they change them. Chris and Scott think it’s good for you and for your business to have to pivot like that. It keeps you on your toes and makes you get creative when your competition may not do the same level of work to stay alive. The Amazon review changes kill the strategy of approaching top reviewers. It used to be a great strategy to contact the top Amazon reviewers and offer them a free product if they would leave a review. The belief was that doing so added some clout to your product if a top reviewer left a good review. But with the recent changes to Amazon’s review policy that strategy is out because you can no longer give a discount on your products in exchange for a review. You can hear other effects this change has on the way you build your business and market your products, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. A new way to promote your products to your email list and boost sales. Even though you are not allowed to give a discount in exchange for a review, if you’ve done the work of building up a mailing list you can use it to get some spikes in your product sales. For example, you could contact your list and tell them that on this upcoming Saturday you’re going to be offering a $10 off price for 6 hours only. Those people will be the only ones who know about the discount and will go to get the deal. You should sell a good number of products over that time span and your sales ranking will rise accordingly. Then you just need to follow up via Amazon email and your own list to encourage those purchasers to leave a product review. Scott and Chris have more ideas like this on this episode of the podcast. Private Label sales on Amazon are far from over. Many people are all doom and gloom about the recent changes on Amazon but on this episode, Scott and his buddy Chris Guthrie chat about why there is still plenty of opportunities for people to get started selling products on Amazon. The recent changes actually make thing similar to how Amazon was when both Scott and Chris began their sales journey on Amazon. In that respect the changes don’t seem all that bad to them. They share some new strategies and approaches to building an Amazon business on this episode so be sure you listen. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast discussion with Chris Guthrie! [3:40] A shout out to the iTunes reviewers and Facebook community. [6:20] Chris’ initial thoughts about the changes happening on Amazon. [9:20] How this change is similar to changes Google has made over the years. [13:20] The reason top reviewer requests are not possible anymore. [19:30] Why building an email list is your best asset. [23:12] How a list can be built with a contest then a flash email to discount for everyone. [25:03] What’s really SPAM and what isn’t? [34:00] The impact of this on previous reviews that have been left for your products. [36:49] Why sales on Amazon are not over. [39:44] Changes like these have always been happening on all platforms. [46:16] Get in on the next LIVE event. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/246 and www.TheAmazingSeller.com/77 SalesBacker - Chris’ software www.TheAmazingSeller.com/resources (affiliate links) www.NichePursuits.com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE

It’s becoming more and more common that unscrupulous Amazon sellers are sending letters to their competitors that sound very official and legal but are fakes. These letters are sent to intimidate competitors into taking down their listings and eventually removing their products from Amazon altogether. The practice is a kind of bullying that Ted Luymes, an attorney who deals with Amazon related issues in his practice sees all the time. On this episode, Ted shares some of the things to look for if you receive a letter like that and gives advice on what you can do to make the bullying stop. What if somebody says you’ve infringed on their product’s patent? Even if you were very thorough when you went through the product research phase it’s possible that you have infringed on someone’s patent, but you won’t know unless you did an actual patent search, which can be expensive. On this episode, Ted Luymes talks about the steps you can take to assure yourself first of all that your product is not stepping over legal lines, but also what you can do if someone accuses you of doing so. He’s got great advice for you so be sure you take the time to listen. What does Amazon do if a complaint is made that you’re infringing on a copyright? Any Amazon seller has the right to file a complaint with Amazon that claims another seller has infringed on their product patent, copyright, or trademark. When this happens Amazon typically doesn’t ask questions first, they just take the listing down. Then they begin an investigative process. On this episode of The Amazing Seller attorney Ted Luymes shares what you can do to expedite the process if this happens to you. You’ll want to hear this because the longer you are on the Amazon platform the more likely it is that you’ll experience things of this nature. Do you know how to use a DMCA counter-notice? If Amazon happens to suppress your product listing or take your listing off of their platform because of a copyright or patent complaint, you have the right to file a DMCA counter-notice. By law, the person or entity who filed the claim that you’ve violated their copyright or patent has a limited amount of time after that to prove their claim. If they don’t, Amazon must put your listing back on the platform. That’s how the law works. But there are a number of steps you should take before you resort to the DMCA notice. Do you know what they are? Attorney Ted Luymes is on the show today to give us the answers. When you deal with people regarding your Amazon business, learn to be professional. Imagine this scenario: You’ve just opened your mail and find a cease and desist letter from another Amazon seller. They say you are selling an unauthorized version of their product that infringes on their copyright. If this happens to you the last thing you should do is write a snarky or angry email reply. There are much better ways to deal with the situation. On this episode, Attorney Ted Luymes gives some solid advice about how you should respond to those kinds of letter or notices and tells why it’s so important to do so if you want a favorable outcome to the issue. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this podcast episode with Attorney Ted Luymes. [2:38] The reality of the bumps in the road that come in business. [4:20] The kinds of bullying Ted has been seeing. [9:10] What can be done if a product is infringing on a patent? [11:28] How does Amazon respond to accusations of copyright or trademark infringement? [14:28] What should you look for if you receive a cease and desist letter? [21:00] What is a DMCA counter notice and how should it be used? [24:56] Advice about how to learn to write messages and emails that are professional. [28:55] Why is it good right to buy out a competitor’s inventory if they hijack your listing. [36:24] Get in on the next TAS LIVE event. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/186 www.TheAmazingSeller.com/152 www.TedLawFirm.com - Ted’s website ted(at)tedlawfirm.com or 626-993-7000 www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - Get in on the TAS LIVE event

It’s time for the next Friday episode of The Amazing Seller podcast - the “Ask Scott” episode where Scott Voelker, an experienced online business guy and Amazon seller answers listener questions. That means YOU can get in on the action by asking questions related to your Amazon Private Label business - or any other business you may be running. Scott’s got the experience to give you some insight to feel free to reach out to him with your situation - and listen to this episode to find out how you can do that! Here’s one way you can use product variations to your advantage. One listener to the Amazing Seller called in to ask how his competitor is getting his product to show up in search results for two different, gender-specific searches with DIFFERENT TITLES for the same product! Does he have two listings? Scott says it’s most likely that he has the product set up with variations. Product variations, when done right and in a way that is genuine are a great way to target your product to different audiences. You can hear how Scott describes it and get an idea of how you can use product variations on this episode of the podcast. When dealing with product suppliers, should I use a domain-based email that matches my brand? A listener called in to ask about the best way to correspond with a potential vendor. What he’s concerned about is whether or not the vendor will take him less seriously if he uses a generic email like gmail or yahoo mail - as opposed to an email that was something like NAME@GarlicPress.com. Do you know if it makes a difference? What do you think Scott recommends? You can find out my listening to this episode of the Amazing Seller podcast. If you were just starting out, here are Scott’s most important episodes you should listen to. A listener’s wife is getting started on Amazon as a private label seller and he wanted to know which of Scott’s over 270 episodes of would be the most important for her to listen to in order to understand the basics and get started. Scott says that even though Amazon has changed a lot over the years the basics of how to get started are pretty much the same. So the episodes he mentions all have to do with product research and selection. You can hear this list of “best of” episodes from Scott on this episode. Would you like to sit across the table from Scott to get some helpful advice? That’s what’s going to happen at the TAS Breakthrough LIVE event coming up in Phoenix, Arizona in November 2016. A small group of Amazon sellers will come together to experience the power of corporate strategizing, brainstorming, and “hot seat” product evaluations with Scott Voelker leading the way. This event could truly change your profit margin and the success of your business like nothing else. If you’d like to get in on this great event you can find out how to get registered on this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast! [3:43] QUESTION ONE: One competitor’s product is coming up with a description as “for men” AND “for women.” How does he do that and is it advantageous? [11:34] QUESTION TWO: What are your thoughts about the importance of a domain and email that matches your brand? [20:23] QUESTION THREE: My wife is going to get started selling on Amazon, what are the most important podcast episodes she should listen to? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - Ask your own questions. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - TAS Breakthrough LIVE: get in now! www.TheAmazingSeller.com/212 - Brand Registry episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/56 and www.TheAmazingSeller.com/151 and www.TheAmazingSeller.com/189 www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Start

There’s a lot of stress being felt in the private label community since Amazon has made changes to its product review policy. But is it living up to the doom and gloom we’ve heard from some people? Scott doesn’t think so. In fact, he believes this is a good thing for anyone who wants to be successful in private label sales. On this episode of the podcast, Scott is going to tell you why this policy change is a good thing and what you can do to make the most of it. What would you do to sell a product if Amazon didn’t exist? If there was no Amazon - what would you do to sell a product online? You’d probably figure out a different way to do product research. You’d learn about other platforms where you could sell your products online (Etsy and Ebay come to mind). You’d figure out what it takes to sell on your own website and drive traffic to it using Facebook Ads or Google Adwords. The point is that even if Amazon was totally gone you’d still be able to sell products. It may be a bit more difficult than it is now, but it would be possible. That’s why you need to understand that the recent change to Amazon’s product review policy is not the end of the world. Find out how Scott is moving his private label business forward in spite of the changes, on this episode. Private Label will never die. Here’s why. The term “private label” means that somebody is selling a product of their own. They’ve sourced it. They are packaging it. They are distributing it. It is THEIR product. That happens every day and you see the outcome of it on the shelves of Walmart and other stores across the nation. You will always be able to create your own product and sell it. The recent changes to Amazon’s review policy don’t change that at all. It only limits the WAY you can go about promoting your products. So what are you going to do? You’re going to have to figure out ways to advance the sales of your products within the boundaries you have - and part of that is Amazon Terms of Service. Find out how Scott recommends you take advantage of the new changes, on this episode. Gaming the system only lasts so long. That’s what the Amazon review policy is about. No matter what the rules are that govern an online platform, somebody will work the rules to their advantage and do everything they can to milk that advantage for as long as possible. We call it “gaming the system” and those who run the platform in question will eventually make changes to keep people from unfairly using their systems. That’s what’s happened with Amazon’s recent changes to product review policies. On this episode, you get to listen in as Scott thinks out loud about what these changes mean for him and his business as well as discover what he plans to do to keep his products selling like normal. This Amazon review change is good news. It levels the playing field. There was a time when companies that had deep pockets were able to offer dramatic discounts in order to entice people to leave them a review on Amazon. That, in turn, made it look like many people loved their product, when in fact, it may not have been the case. As a result, the little guys were not able to keep up and fell further and further behind the sales curve. But not anymore. The recent policy changes to Amazon’s Terms of Service have put an end to that practice so now everyone has an equal chance of getting favorable reviews from legitimate buyers. Find out what the changes are and how they impact your Amazon private label business, on this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to this episode of the podcast! [5:36] Understanding why people buy products online and what would it be like if Amazon was not even part of the equation? [8:45] The role affiliate sales could play in business success. [12:00] Why it’s good news that Amazon still exists as a sales platform. [16:00] The importance of building an email list. [22:20] How Scott is modifying his approach in light of Amazon’s review changes. [23:45] Why product research is key to this approach. [30:46] Why the update levels the playing field. [33:20] A new workshop Scott has created. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Discover - Scott’s new workshop to discover products Niche Pursuits Long-Tail Pro Etsy Ebay Google Ads Facebook Ads www.Walmart.com www.Jet.com www.Sears.com Sales Backer www.TheAmazingSeller.com/246 - Episode with Chris of Sales Backer www.TheAmazingSeller.com/275 - various ways to spread a product www.TheAmazingSeller.com/230 - sales funnel episode

Scott is back with another “Ask Scott” session of the podcast. Be sure you listen to these real answers to real listener questions, submitted by Amazon private label sellers. On this episode, Scott answers questions about product photos, what to do to increase your ranking once you’ve run out of product inventory, how to modify your products to be a feasible offer in a different country, and how to build an email list as an ongoing asset to your business. As usual, you’re going to get a truckload of value from this episode, so be sure you listen. Should I switch my product into a different market? Imagine that you sell an electrical adapter. As you probably know, it would have to be a different model adapter if it was going to be used in Europe than if it was to be used in the United States. Today's episode features a question from a private label seller who has a product that has similar unique qualities that vary from country to country. He's got questions about what he should do to generate more sales when his product details don't exactly match the country he's selling in. It's an interesting conundrum that Scott answers, on this episode. My product ranked well before I ran out of inventory. Now I can’t get it selling again. Help! There are times when your products on Amazon sell faster than you expected (a good problem to have). But it causes issues because you run out of product, which in turn causes your sales rank and organic search ranking to go down for as long as you are out of inventory. When the product is back in stock, it’s sometimes hard to get the product ranking and selling again. On this episode, Scott answers a listener question about how to get a restocked product selling again. It’s a problem you’re bound to run into eventually so be sure you listen to find out how to handle the situation. Should you put a watermark on your product photos to keep them from being stolen? Many Amazon sellers know about the possibility of someone hijacking their products. It’s something we are all vulnerable to but there are things you can do to protect yourself. A listener of the podcast called in to ask if one thing that could be done is to watermark his photos. That would make it easier for him to prove that the photos belonged to him. But Scott’s not so sure it’s a good idea and says that he will probably never do it himself. Find out why Scott is not too keen on the idea of watermarks on product photos, on this episode of the podcast. I need to start building an email list. What’s the best way to do it? It seems like every episode Chris Shaffer is on lately he harps on the fact that an email list is your single most valuable asset as an Amazon private label seller. The reason he believes it so strongly is because it’s the only way you can contact your customers and prompt sales of your products anytime you want to do so. Today’s episode features a question from a listener to wants some tips about how to go about building his first email list. Scott’s covered the issue before but thinks the issue is so important he was willing to address it again. You can hear how he suggests you get started building your own email list, on this episode. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast! [0:46] Thoughts on the big changes to the review policies on Amazon. [2:50] The upcoming TAS Breakthrough LIVE. [4:07] QUESTION ONE: Do you think photos on Amazon should be watermarked? [8:35] QUESTION TWO: I sold out of my first product in a month and had no inventory for 2 weeks. Now I’m not gaining traction with new inventory. How can I improve sales? [15:53] QUESTION THREE: I’m ranking with my product but my product doesn’t apply well to the U.S. market. Should I move my product to another market? [22:06] QUESTION FOUR: I want to build an email list by offering a free manual for how to use the product. I’d love your tips for building an email list effectively. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask www.TheAmazingSeller.com/267 - roundtable episode with Chris and Dom www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - get into the next TAS Breakthrough LIVE event www.Splitly.com SlickDeals Jungle Scout Camel Camel Camel www.TheAmazingSeller.com/237 - how one seller built an email list. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/230 - how to build a sales funnel. www.LeadPages.com www.Aweber.com www.MailChimp.com www.ConstantContact.com

As you’ve probably heard by now Amazon has changed its policies regarding whether or not you as a private label seller can ask for a review on your product in exchange for a discount on the product. What Amazon has said is, "No, you can't." that's going to be a problem for many private label sellers because they have centered their entire product launch sequence around the allowance of reviews for a discount. So how does this impact the way we go about launching a new private label product on Amazon? That’s what this roundtable discussion with Scott Voelker, Chris Shaffer, and Dom Sugar is all about. The guys chat about the actual policy change, what it means for product launches, and why in some ways, it’s a better thing for the private label community overall. You can hear the entire conversation on this episode of the Amazing Seller podcast. The recent Amazon review changes actually level the playing field for all private label sellers. It’s important to look at the recent changes to Amazon’s review policies from the perspective of a brand new seller. Before this change the climb to a successful product launch was made very difficult because competitors with bigger budgets were able to invest lots of cash in building reviews through giving huge discounts to potential customers in exchange for a review. But now, Amazon has removed that possibility so everyone is required to launch their product without the benefit of huge discounts in exchange for a review. In short, the big boys in any niche now have to deal with the same limits as the little guys. You can hear more insights into the ways the little guy seller benefits from the recent Amazon review changes, on this episode. “I don’t care about reviews, I care about sales!” The strategy of getting lots of reviews on Amazon for your products is meant to build the social proof for the value and quality of your products. That way more people will possibly feel comfortable buying your product because others have done so, and are happy with it. But that’s all assuming that more reviews equal more sales. But it’s not always the case. Scott has interviewed plenty of sellers who have launched and gotten a huge jump on product sales without any reviews. On this episode, both Chris and Dom agree that sales are much more important than reviews, not only because sales put cash in your pocket but also because sales are what causes your product to rank higher in the Amazon search results. Reviews don’t do either of those things for you. Find out more about how the guys view this Amazon policy change, on this episode. Why did Amazon make its change to the review policies? Everything Amazon does is to increase the ability of sellers to sell quality products. That’s how Amazon makes its money, through sales of truly helpful, high-quality products. The recent changes to the “review in exchange for a discount” policy is aimed at making sure that the reviews given for products actually reflect the product quality, instead of being done in exchange for a personal benefit to the reviewer. That should enable the reviews on any product listing to be more honest, giving potential buyers more assurance that the products they buy from Amazon are something they will be happy with. Amazon will have fewer return issues and the platform itself will become better trusted and more effective. But the change will require sellers to come up with new ways to launch their products and use reviews effectively. You can hear how Scott, Chris, and Dom are thinking about the issue at this point, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. If you’re going to run your own private label business, you’ve got to learn how to flex with the changes. As with any business, Amazon private label sellers have to learn how to adjust to the market and selling platform changes. Amazon will never be a static sales platform, meaning that Amazon will always be tweaking its algorithm and policies to increase sales and make their business more trusted and secure. As a seller on Amazon, you’re going to have to learn how to deal with those changes each time they are made in order for YOUR business to remain viable and healthy. On this episode of The Amazing Seller, Scott’s hosting a roundtable discussion with a couple of guys who have been working in private label sales for a long time. They’re discussing the recent changes and the types of pivots sellers will have to make as a result. Be sure you listen. You’re sure to hear things that you hadn’t thought of yet.   OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast and his buddies Chris and Dom! [2:47] What did Amazon do to change their review policies? [6:05] Dom’s thoughts about the news once he had time to think it through. [9:00] How this change levels the playing field. [11:43] Why Chris and Dom don’t care about reviews and the impact this change has. [23:35] Why Amazon made this change: to stop people from abusing the system. [28:15] This change is going to help you do more accurate product research. [32:10] Why you’ll have to change email follow up sequences as a result of this change. [36:30] Scott’s idea about how to change his approach to his own review club. [41:51] Why this change is not as dramatic as it first appears. [47:00] Why an email list is the single biggest asset in your business. [49:00] The vine program: What is it and how to do you get into it? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/267 Jungle Scout Blog Jungle Scout CamelCamelCamel ReviewKick SlickDeals www.TheAmazingSeller.com/116 - Episode with Amazon Top Reviewer Kizzy

If you’ve never looked into the possibility of selling your own private label products online to build a business of your own, this is the episode for you to hear. My guest today is Paul and he built his own private label sales business from scratch - and started out with only $30. That’s right - $30. On this episode, he debunks many ideas about getting started with online sales by sharing exactly how he took each step to move from a $30 investment to thousands of dollars in sales every month. You can hear the whole thing on this episode of the podcast. Overcoming the fear and roadblocks to building your own private label business. Fear is a natural response to something you don’t understand. You wonder if you’ll have what it takes to handle the difficulties and challenges the situation may bring. But fear is also something that you can use to your advantage to motivate and drive you forward. On this episode, Paul shares how he stepped past the fear he felt by taking small, less risky steps to assure himself as he went along. It’s a smart strategy and one that worked out very well for him. You can hear the entire story on this episode of the podcast. Starting small from where you are is the key to success. There’s nothing that can really hold you back from becoming successful at private label sales if you really want to be successful. Paul’s story is a great example of that. He started out very small, with only $30 worth of product. As that began to sell he purchased more with the profits and scaled the business larger and larger over time. You don’t have to order tons of product right off the bat and Paul’s story demonstrates how true that is. You’ll get to hear Paul’s story, the steps he took all along the way to success, and where he’s come over time on this episode. You can also hear what he’s doing now to expand his business beyond Amazon, so be sure you take the time to listen. Why you need to think outside Amazon with your product sales. Amazon is a wonderful place to get started with online product sales. The FBA setup is one of the simplest and easiest ways to get started and everyone interested in product sales should at least look into it. But Amazon is not the end game - or shouldn’t be. There are many risky aspects to using Amazon that you want to consider when it comes to the long-term sustainability of your business. On this episode Scott and his guest, Paul talk about the kinds of things they’ve seen that have caused them to look outside Amazon to establish their own, entirely controllable platform for generating income for themselves. You’ll learn a lot just from this short part of their conversation. BEST ADVICE: Take it step by step to get started building your own business. As Scott wrapped up this interview with his guest, Paul he asked what one piece of advice Paul would give to people who are considering Amazon private label sales. Paul’s advice flows right out of his own experience: take it step at a time and go slowly. Nobody says you’ve got to invest tons of money or do highly risky things to get a business going. Amazon FBA makes it possible for you to start as small or as large as you are comfortable starting and to grow your efforts from there. If you wonder if it’s really possible to succeed at private label sales, you need to hear Paul’s story. He’s got a great one to tell and it will benefit you to hear it. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast! [3:40]  How you can get into the TAS Breakthrough LIVE. [6:34] Paul’s income through e commerce and private label: how he got started. [14:34] The road toward his own products. [16:30] Paul’s first attempts in paying for his products and why he went slowly. [21:19] Why you don’t have to start with a huge order of products. [24:29] How Paul gets his traffic back after running out of products. [26:43] Paul’s efforts to add a second product: frequently bought together. [29:35] Why you need to think outside Amazon with your product sales. [38:03] How Paul is selling in the U.S. market from Ireland. [41:00] The review service Paul used and how it worked for him. [44:42] Paul’s advice for people just starting out with e commerce and private label. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE The Income Highway Podcast Long Tail Pro Ubersuggest WooCommerce Top Win Inspections My FBA Partner www.NeedsReview.com Review Kick Sales Backer www.FreePrivateLabelCourse.com

It’s time for Scott Voelker to answer your questions about Amazon Private Label sales because this is the Friday episode of the Amazing Seller Podcast. We call it the “Ask Scott” episode because that’s all the episode is - your questions about Amazon product sales and FBA related issues that Scott fields and answers. His hope is that you’ll be helped by the questions and answers you hear and that you’ll also step forward to ask your questions so that others can be helped by hearing an answer to YOUR sticking points. Listen to this episode to find out how you can ask your own questions. A new idea for using another product for building a sales funnel for your product. A listener called into the show to share a strategy he’s been using to promote his products and build his email list -and it’s not the normal thing that you hear of people doing. He’s creating a giveaway contest where people who enter have to submit their email address to be entered - but the giveaway item he’s using is not his product. It's a very desirable one in the same niche as his product. That enables him to follow up via an email list to all the contest entrants with pitches and helpful information that relate directly to his product. You’ll not only hear how the strategy is working for him but you’ll also get to hear what Scott thinks of the idea, on this episode of The Amazing Seller. What’s the best way to assess if a product idea is a good one? When it comes to product research there are so many things that you need to take into consideration that it’s impossible to cover them all in a short blurb like this. But what we can say is this: There’s more to it than simply looking at sales numbers. You’ve got to be able to look behind the numbers to understand the sales cycles of the product niche you have in mind so that you can make a better-informed decision. On this episode, Scott points you to a powerfully helpful resource that can help you do product research and make better decisions about the products you offer on Amazon private label. My sales conversions are low. What can I do to improve sales? The sales conversion numbers you see relating to your Amazon products have so many moving pieces that it’s almost impossible to talk about all of them on one podcast episode. But the main thing you need to keep in mind is that sales are ultimately an issue of traffic to your product listing. If you can get the eyes of people who are interested in your product to actually see it, then you have a much better chance of selling them the product. But if they never see your product then naturally they won’t become a customer. On this episode, Scott talks about the main strategies you can pursue to get more eyes on your products. Does the amount of inventory I have available on Amazon impact my search rank? Today Scott fields a very interesting question that he’s never been asked before. Here it is: “If I have a low amount of product on the shelves of Amazon’s warehouses but my competition has a high amount of product available in Amazon’s inventory, does my low inventory number negatively impact my search ranking?” Scott admits this is a question he’s never really given much thought to but after being asked about it, he decided to ponder it a bit. You can hear his answer on this episode and find out what he recommends to keep your product inventory higher regardless. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Scott’s introduction to the podcast! [0:40] Scott’s disclaimer: it has to do with juicing! [2:46] QUESTION ONE: A tip for building product sales funnels. [9:33] QUESTION TWO: How do you verify that a product is a good product? [13:07] QUESTION THREE: I’m having very low conversions on my products. Can you help me assess the problems? [21:24] QUESTION FOUR: Does the number of units in inventory influence how well my products rank? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.TheAmazingSeller.com/Ask - how you can ask your questions. www.TheAmazingSeller.com/130 - the sales funnel episode www.TheAmazingSeller.com/LIVE - Scott’s upcoming LIVE event. Scott (at) TheAmazingSeller (dot) com www.TheAmazingSeller.com/189 - episode about product research & verification